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The United States executed a dramatic military operation early Saturday morning to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their heavily guarded compound in Caracas. The mission involved more than 150 aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers, and helicopters, and represented the culmination of months of intelligence gathering by CIA operatives embedded in Venezuela.
According to senior Trump administration officials, U.S. intelligence teams had been closely monitoring Maduro’s daily activities for months, despite the closure of the American embassy in Caracas in March 2019.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, revealed that CIA operatives provided detailed information about the Venezuelan leader, from his eating habits to details about his pets.
Military planners constructed a full-scale replica of Maduro’s compound in Kentucky, allowing Delta Force commandos to rehearse the operation repeatedly. President Trump had given Maduro multiple opportunities to step down peacefully, even speaking with him about a week before the mission, but the Venezuelan leader refused to yield.
The operation was delayed several days due to poor weather conditions over Caracas, but by Friday the skies cleared. After Trump gave the final authorization with the words “Good luck and Godspeed,” dozens of aircraft began launching from 20 different locations on land and at sea.
As U.S. forces approached Caracas, they systematically dismantled Venezuelan air defense systems to ensure safe passage for the helicopter assault force. American forces plunged the capital into darkness as MH-47 Chinook and MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flew at treetop level toward Fort Tiuna military base, where Maduro was located.
The Delta Force commandos, accompanied by Justice Department officials, moved with precision after landing.
The helicopters came under fire upon arrival and responded with overwhelming force. One aircraft was hit but remained operational throughout the mission.
Maduro was attempting to reach an armored safe room when commandos burst in and captured him before he could secure the door. His wife, Cilia Flores, was also apprehended. A federal grand jury indictment against Flores on drug trafficking and weapons charges was unsealed following her capture.
The extraction faced multiple engagements as forces withdrew from Venezuela. The entire operation, from landing to clearing Venezuelan territory with both prisoners, took approximately 90 minutes. Gen. Caine emphasized the extensive training and preparation that ensured the mission’s success, stating that American forces train “not to get it right but to ensure that we cannot get it wrong.”
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