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Washington- After months of preparation, which included building a replica of Nicolas Maduro’s compound and studying his daily habits, U.S. forces arrived at the Venezuelan president’s residence in downtown Caracas shortly after 2 a.m. local time on Saturday.
President Trump and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed the stunning operation that ended with Maduro’s capture to bring him to the United States to face narcoterrorism charges.
Mr. Trump gave final approval to the mission Friday at 10:46 p.m. ET, telling military leaders: “Good luck and good luck,” Caine told reporters Saturday afternoon during a news conference at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Throughout the night, planes took off from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere toward Venezuela. Caine said the mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, involved more than 150 aircraft.
“Early in the night, the helicopters took off with the extraction force, which included law enforcement officers, and began their flight to Venezuela at 100 feet above the water,” Caine said.
As the helicopters approached the shore, they were protected by other aircraft, including drones, bombers and fighter jets. The United States dismantled and disabled Venezuela’s air defense systems as the helicopters approached Caracas, according to Caine, who also said it deployed weapons “to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area.”
Mr. Trump said the lights in Caracas had largely gone out “because of some experience that we have.”
“As the forces crossed the last point of high ground where they had hidden in the disorder, we felt we had totally retained the element of surprise,” Caine said.
Once they arrived at the complex, the helicopters came under fire but remained operational, Caine said.
“There was a lot of gunfire,” Mr. Trump said.
U.S. forces and the FBI eventually entered the compound, where Maduro and his wife “gave up” and were taken into custody, Caine said.
Mr Trump said Maduro tried to escape when he was captured.
“He was trying to get to a safe place,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “The safe place was all steel, and he couldn’t make it to the door because our guys were too fast.”
“It was a very thick door, a very heavy door,” Mr. Trump said. “He managed to reach the door. He couldn’t close it.”
But even if Maduro had managed to reach the safe, Mr Trump said military forces could have blown the door down in “about 47 seconds”.
After Maduro and his wife were apprehended, helicopters returned to exfiltrate them. Fighter jets and drones also provided protection during their trip out of the country. Caine said there were “several self-defense engagements” during the withdrawal.
“The force successfully exfiltrated and returned to its launch bases afloat, and the force was above water at 3:29 a.m. Eastern Standard Time with indicted individuals on board,” Caine said.
One of the American helicopters was hit and American soldiers were injured during the raid.
Mr. Trump watched the mission unfold at his home in Mar-a-Lago as soldiers from the army’s elite Delta force arrived and entered Maduro’s compound shortly after 2 a.m.
The United States began planning the operation months ago, with U.S. intelligence agencies working to “find Maduro and understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what his pets were,” Caine said.
The operation had been ready since early December, but the United States was waiting for the right moment to minimize civilian damage and maximize surprise, Caine said, adding that it also depended on weather conditions.
“Last night the weather broke just enough, opening a path that only the world’s most skilled aviators could maneuver: ocean, mountain, low cloud, ceilings,” Caine said.
