The president Donald Trump assured this Saturday that the capture of the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, was carried out without casualties among U.S. forces and that all aircraft returned to base after a nighttime military operation in Venezuela.
Trump explained in a televised interview for Fox News that the operation had been planned in advance but was postponed for several days due to weather conditions, until they found "the exact moment" to act.
According to the details provided, Maduro was in a heavily fortified structure, with steel doors and security rooms, and although he attempted to take refuge, he was captured in a matter of seconds, the U.S. president asserted.
The president also clarified that there were no casualties among the troops that participated in the operation, and although some equipment was damaged—including a helicopter—all aircraft returned without losses.
"We didn't lose anyone. There were some injuries, but no deaths. We didn't lose any aircraft. Everything came home," Trump stated.
The operation, confirmed by international media, involved a series of airstrikes and a military incursion at various locations in Caracas and other areas in northern Venezuela as part of the U.S. campaign against what Washington labels as illicit activities linked to the Maduro regime.
Trump stated that the action was "very deadly and very powerful," and that U.S. forces were prepared for even a second wave, although it was not needed.
In his statements, the president said that he observed part of the operation in real time and that the forces used were "the most highly trained in the world."
American media report that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during the night and subsequently transferred to a U.S. warship, from where their extradition to New York was anticipated to face criminal charges related to drug trafficking and other allegations presented by federal prosecutors.
The operation marks a historic escalation in U.S. intervention in Venezuela and has triggered international reactions, with some governments condemning the attack while others have expressed support for Washington's actions.
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