Daily Dawn News, Dawn TV report
Venezuela: The US Army’s elite Delta Commandos detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a special forces operation lasting 2 hours and 20 minutes. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kaine, revealed that the mission, called “Operation Absolute Resolve”, had been in preparation for several months, during which commando operations were practiced on target models. Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that Congress was not informed ahead of time.
For months, American spies have been monitoring the every move of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. A small team, which included a Venezuelan government source, was observing where the 63-year-old president slept, what he ate, what he wore, and even his pets, according to senior military officials. In August, the CIA sent a small team into Venezuela to track Maduro’s habits, locations, and movements, providing accurate information for the commandos, according to CNN.
Two senior White House officials told CNN that despite the plan to remove Maduro, the White House administration had hoped in recent weeks that the Venezuelan president would voluntarily resign. During a phone call between Trump and Maduro in November, the US president repeatedly urged the Venezuelan leader that it would be in his best interest to step down and leave the country. It was an ultimatum.
The “Operation Absolute Resolve” mission was finalized in early December. It was the result of months of meticulous planning and exercises, including the creation of a full-size replica of Maduro’s Caracas safe house to better understand the routes of entry for US special forces.
Congress was not informed or consulted ahead of time. With the most accurate information and details, top military officials simply waited for the best possible outcome. Officials said they wanted to maintain the element of surprise as much as possible.
Trump had given the go-ahead in late December, but the operation was disrupted by a number of factors, including the weather in Venezuela and the president’s Christmas invasion of Nigeria.
The action began four days earlier when President Trump gave the go-ahead, but he chose to wait for better weather and fewer clouds, which meant a few more days. During the period between Christmas and New Year, select units of the US military sat on standby, patiently waiting for the president to give us the order to operate. Finally, the time to move came when Trump’s order came shortly before midnight in Caracas, and the military had a chance to operate mostly in the dark.
What followed was a two-hour and twenty-minute mission by air, land and sea. Trump did not observe the mission directly from the White House’s famous “situation room” but was present with his advisers at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The first signs of the operation appeared in the sky. More than 150 aircraft – including bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance planes – were finally launched at midnight.
At around 2 a.m. local time in Caracas, loud explosions were heard, and clouds of smoke were seen rising above the city. Planes and helicopters were flying over the city. A video showed a convoy of helicopters flying at low altitude over Caracas, with smoke rising from explosions below.
According to the BBC, five locations were attacked while the main strike force was en route to the target. The five targets included the Fort Tuena military complex, the country’s largest military base.
Trump told the media that the lights in Caracas were largely turned off before the mission began because of a special skill we have. It was dark everywhere.
At 2:15am local time, Delta Force reached the target. Trump said they were ready and waiting for us. They knew we were coming.
When they arrived, they were under fire, and a US helicopter was hit but still able to fly. The force landed at Maduro’s compound and moved forward. The US commandos, cutting through the steel gates, advanced. That’s when Secretary of State Rubio began briefing lawmakers about the operation. Briefing Congress prematurely would have jeopardized the mission.
At the target compound, the US commandos stormed in as the Venezuelan president tried to head to a secure room, but were intercepted by Delta Force before he could get inside.
By 4:20 a.m. local time, the helicopter was leaving Venezuela with Maduro and his wife. About an hour later, Trump broke the news to the world.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in an underground bunker inside Fort Tuena called the Casa de los Pinos, or House of the Pines. The bunker is reportedly connected to other parts of the military complex through tunnels and is heavily guarded. Some reports suggest that Cuban security forces were also guarding it. The presidential palace, known as the Mir Aflores Palace.
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