23 April,2017 10:34 AM IST | Seoul | Agencies
The US strike group is steaming towards North Korea amid fears of a sixth nuclear test; Pyongyang threatens to hit back at any provocation
Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (L) leads the US naval fleet. Pic/AFP
The US supercarrier Carl Vinson will arrive in the Sea of Japan in days, Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday, after days of mixed messages from Washington over the warship's whereabouts. The strike group was supposedly steaming towards North Korea last week amid soaring tensions over the rogue state's apparent ramping up for a sixth nuclear test, with Pyongyang threatening to hit back at any provocation.
The aircraft carrier will arrive "in a matter of days", Pence, who is in Sydney, said, after the location of the naval strike group became contentious.
Meanwhile, North Korea has said it is ready to respond to aggression from the US, amid the deployment of an American nuclear aircraft carrier in waters close to the Korean peninsula. "Authorities of the Trump Administration are spouting a load of rubbish calling for browbeating North Korea," the statement said. Pyongyang said it will not be frightened by these threats and that its army is closely watching US manoeuvres and waiting for an order to counter any threat immediately.
