US President Donald Trump on Saturday (January 3) said American forces carried out an “extraordinary” overnight military operation in Venezuela’s capital, claiming it resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the complete neutralization of the country’s military capabilities.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump described the assault as one of the most powerful demonstrations of US military strength in history.
“Late last night and early today, at my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” Trump said.
“Overwhelming military power — air, land and sea — was used to launch a spectacular assault, an assault like people have not seen since World War Two.”
‘Stunning display of American military might’
Trump said the operation targeted what he described as a heavily fortified military stronghold in Caracas.
“This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history,” he told reporters.
He said the mission was aimed at bringing what he called “outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice”.
Maduro captured ‘in the dead of night’
Trump said Maduro was captured during the overnight raid, describing the conditions during the operation as dark and lethal.
“All Venezuelan military capabilities were rendered powerless,” Trump said.
“As the men and women of our military, working with US law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night.”
He added that Maduro and his wife would now face justice in the United States.
Caracas plunged into darkness during raid
Trump claimed Caracas was plunged into darkness as the operation unfolded, without providing further technical details.
“It was dark. The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” he said.
“It was dark. It was deadly.”
‘No US casualties, no equipment lost’
Trump said the operation was completed without any American fatalities or equipment losses.
“Not a single American service member was killed, and not a single piece of American equipment was lost,” he said.
“We had many helicopters, many planes, many, many people involved in that fight.”
He added that no other country could have carried out a mission of similar scale and speed.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday,” Trump said.
US military details ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ to capture Maduro
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also provided details on the US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, describing it as the result of months of planning and coordination.
Months of planning and coordination
General Caine said the operation, officially named Operation Absolute Resolve, was “the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal.” He emphasized the importance of patience and preparation in executing the mission.
“We watched, we waited, we prepared. We remained patient and professional,” he said.
He also noted the interagency collaboration involved, building on decades of expertise in complex military operations.
“Our interagency work began months ago and built on decades of experience of integrating complex air, ground, space, and maritime operations,” Caine said.
Massive air and drone deployment
Caine revealed that more than 150 aircraft were deployed across the Western Hemisphere in coordinated strikes and support missions.
“The Force included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, EA-18s, E-2s, B-1 bombers, and other support aircraft, as well as numerous remotely piloted drones,” he said.
The scale of the operation highlighted the US military’s ability to integrate multiple branches and technologies in a single mission.
Precision apprehension of Maduro
General Caine gave a timeline of the operation, saying US forces arrived at Maduro’s compound in the early hours of Saturday.
“We arrived at Maduro’s compound at 1:01 am Eastern Standard Time, or 2:01 am Caracas local time, and the apprehension force descended into Maduro’s compound and moved with speed, precision and discipline towards their objective and isolated the area to ensure the safety and security of the ground force,” he said.
He stressed the meticulous coordination that enabled the mission to succeed without reported US casualties.
Possibility of future missions
Caine also cautioned that similar operations could be required in the future, emphasizing readiness.
“There is always a chance that we’ll be tasked to do this type of mission again,” he said.
