"The U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro was a months-in-the-making mission rehearsed using replicas of Maduro’s fortified compound, showcasing military might, ingenuity — and good timing.
The Venezuelan dictator was stopped just steps from the steel doors of his fortified lair as elite Army Delta Force commandos closed in, President Trump said.
“He was trying to get into a safe place … the safe place’s all steel, and he wasn’t able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast,” Trump said.
The commandos closed in “in a matter of seconds,” Trump said.
The Delta Force commandos were flown in by the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — known as the Night
The Night Stalkers flew modified MH-60 and MH-47 helicopters, executing low-level nighttime insertions as U.S. aircraft first dismantled Venezuela’s air defenses to clear the path into Caracas.
“People were wondering, do we get them by surprise?” Trump added. “Sort of surprised, but they were waiting for something. It was a lot of opposition. There was a lot of gunfire.”
The C.I.A. collected intelligence from a fleet of stealth drones and a human source who could get close to Mr. Maduro and monitor his movements, according to people briefed on the matter.
Trump said the raid on Caracas — dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve — was ordered at 10:46 p.m. Friday after weather briefly cleared, setting off a tightly choreographed mission that unfolded over roughly two hours and 20 minutes.
“At my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” Trump said.
“Overwhelming American military power, air, land and sea, was used to launch a spectacular assault, and it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II,” he added.
“He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that area,” Trump said, adding U.S. forces were prepared with blowtorches to cut through the steel if needed.
Just after 1:01 a.m., U.S. forces arrived at Maduro’s compound at the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas, Caine said, describing how the apprehension force “moved with speed, precision and discipline.”
As helicopters provided air support, they came under fire, with one aircraft hit but remaining flyable, Caine said.
Explosions began rocking Caracas shortly before 2 a.m., according to AFP correspondents on the ground, as U.S. aircraft returned fire.
Caine said U.S. warplanes dismantled Venezuelan air defenses to clear the way into the capital, while power was cut to parts of the city in what officials described as a cyber operation.
“The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” Trump said. “It was dark, it was deadly.” NYP
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