FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Two other sources told Reuters that the intelligence agency also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was ready to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded...
At 4:21 a.m. on Saturday, President Donald Trump posted a message on the Truth Social networking platform: The United States had carried out a daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
The move came as a surprise, but according to sources familiar with the matter, planning for one of the US's most complex operations had been in progress for months and included meticulous details.
Elite US troops, including Delta Force, imitated an exact replica of Maduro's safe house and practiced how they would enter the well-fortified residence.
The CIA had a small team on the ground starting in August who were able to provide information on Maduro's life pattern, which made his capture easy, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Two other sources told Reuters that the intelligence agency also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was ready to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.
With things ready, Trump approved the operation four days ago, but military and intelligence planners suggested he wait for better weather and fewer clouds. At 10:46 p.m. EST on Friday, Trump gave final approval for what would become known as Operation Absolute Resolve, Army Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters.
Trump, surrounded by his advisers at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, watched a live broadcast of the events.
Massive operation
The Pentagon has overseen a massive military buildup in the Caribbean, sending an aircraft carrier, 11 warships and more than a dozen F-35 fighter jets. In total, more than 15,000 troops have been sent to the region for what U.S. officials have long described as counter-drug operations.
According to one of the sources, Trump's top aide, Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe formed a core team that worked on the issue for months with regular - sometimes daily - meetings and phone calls. They often met with the president.
On Friday evening and into the early hours of Saturday, Trump and his advisers gathered as a number of US aircraft took off and carried out strikes against targets in and near Caracas, including air defense systems, according to a US military official.
Caine said the operation involved more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, as well as B-1 bombers.
"We had a fighter jet for every possible situation," Trump said on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends."
Sources told Reuters that the Pentagon had also quietly moved into the region, refueling tanker aircraft, drones and aircraft specialized in electronic jamming.
US officials said the airstrikes hit military targets. Images obtained by Reuters at La Carlota air base in Caracas showed military vehicles set ablaze by a Venezuelan anti-aircraft unit.
As the attacks were being carried out, US Special Forces entered Caracas heavily armed, including tools to cut through the steel doors at Maduro's compound.
At about 1 a.m. EST on Saturday, Caine said, troops arrived at Maduro's compound in downtown Caracas under fire. One of the helicopters was hit but still able to fly.
Videos posted on social media by residents showed a convoy of helicopters flying over the city at low altitude.
After arriving at Maduro's safe house, the troops, along with FBI agents, entered the residence, which Trump described as a "heavily guarded fortress...".
Maduro tried to hide
After troops entered the safe house, Caine said, Maduro and his wife surrendered. Trump said the Venezuelan leader had tried to get to a safe room but could not close the door.
He was attacked so quickly that he could not hide. Several American forces were hit, but none were killed.
As the operation unfolded, Rubio began briefing lawmakers that it was underway. The briefings began only after the operation began, not before, as is customary for top lawmakers who play an oversight role, officials told Reuters.
As the troops were leaving Venezuelan territory, Caine said, they were involved in "numerous self-defense engagements."
By 3:20 a.m. EST, the helicopters were on the water, with Maduro and his wife aboard. Almost exactly seven hours after Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, he made another post.
This time it was a photo of the captured Venezuelan leader blindfolded, handcuffed and wearing gray sweatpants.
"Nicolas Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima," Trump wrote, referring to the amphibious assault ship. /Adapted from Reuters/
Lini një Përgjigje