CARACAS: United States President Donald Trump has confirmed on the social media platform Truth Social that Washington has captured Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife in a large-scale strike on Saturday.
The US President shared his statement on Truth Social where he said, “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M. at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The strikes today were the largest military buildup of the United States on the American continent since the Cold War.
The airstrikes initially began on speedboats allegedly carrying drugs through Venezuelan waters. Nicolas Maduro has long been accused of leading an international drug trade organisation. Something that Maduro has repeatedly denied.
It has not confirmed by the Venezuelan government or US President Donald Trump about how and where Maduro was captured.
However, it has been confirmed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US army’s Delta Force.
This information was revealed to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News. The Delta Force is one of the US military’s top counter-terrorism units.
The airstrikes come after weeks of heightened tensions between Maduro and Trump. A state of national emergency has been announced in Venezuela.
Not much is known about the morning airstrikes yet. How much military infrastructure was hit? How many casualties were there?
Vladimir Padrino, Venezuela’s defence minister, has said that information is being compiled about the injured and dead people. He has alleged that the strikes have hit civilian areas. He emphasised that Venezuela will resist all foreign presence.
Also read: US Deploys Carrier Strike Group as Venezuela Tensions Rise
