US captures Venezuelan president Maduro during ‘large-scale’ attack and says he will face criminal charges
US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured by US forces following what he described as "large-scale airstrikes" on Caracas.
Trump's assertion came hours after several explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital, plunging the country into uncertainty.
In a post on his Truth Social, President Trump said the United States had "successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader", adding that
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody and flown out of the country in an operation conducted alongside US law enforcement agencies.
Trump’s unprecedented capture of Nicolás Maduro follows months of military campaign and years of strained relationship
The stunning attack and unprecedented capture of a sitting president follow months of an intense US pressure campaign against Venezuela. Since September, the US navy has amassed a huge fleet off the Venezuelan coast and carried out airstrikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific and seized Venezuelan oil tankers.
At least 110 people have been killed in the strikes on boats, which human rights groups say could amount to war crimes.
Venezuelan officials have accused the US of trying to gain access to the country’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.
The bombardment of Venezuela and the capture of Maduro is a serious and dramatic escalation of the US campaign. The future of Venezuela’s ruling regime remains uncertain.
Maduro was captured early Saturday by members of Delta Force, the US military’s elite special mission unit, US officials were quoted as saying by CBS News. The officials said the operation took place in the early morning hours, though no further details were released publicly.
Delta Force had previously carried out the 2019 raid that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
There was no independent confirmation of Maduro’s capture, and Venezuelan officials did not acknowledge Trump’s claim.
Trump’s administration declared Venezuelan gangs such as Tren de Aragua as terrorist organisations and began carrying out airstrikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean sea. Soon, the US began to seize Venezuelan tankers and build up its military presence in the waters surrounding the South American country.
Trump has openly flirted with the idea of regime change in Venezuela. In late November, Trump gave Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power, offering him safe passage out of the country. Maduro refused the offer, telling supporters in Venezuela that he did not want “a slave’s peace” and accusing the US of wanting control of his country’s oil reserves.
As the Trump administration ratcheted up the pressure, the government in Caracas at times seemed bewildered.
Maduro repeatedly said Venezuela did not want war with the US, at one point dancing in front of Venezuelan students to the lyrics, “no war, yes peace” and mimicking Trump’s double-fist pumping dance move.
On Thursday, two days before his capture, Maduro said in a televised interview he would welcome US investment in the country’s oil sector.
ends
No comments:
Post a Comment