President Donald Trump said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured during a U.S. strike on his country in a post shared on his Truth Social account early Saturday (January 3) morning.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump wrote. “This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump had previously given Maduro an ultimatum to resign and flee the country or face consequences over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy of power. The United States accused Maduro of running a “narco-state,” as well as rigging his election last year, which the opposition claimed to have won by an overwhelming margin.
Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chavez as Venezuela’s president in 2013, claimed that the U.S. government was targeting his country in order to gain control of its oil reserves, which are reported to be the largest in the world. The United States military hadn’t made as direct an intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in order to forcibly remove then-military leader Manuel Noriega for similar allegations.
Trump had previously announced on November 27 that U.S. military, which had previously targeted speedboats alleged to be carrying drugs, would expand to land-based operations in Venezuela “very soon.”
Recent Comments