Maduro captured by US Army's elite Delta Force unit in daring dead-of-night helicopter swoop
By Anna Wright
Daily Mail
Jan 3, 2
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seized by the United States Army's secretive Delta Force unit in a daring raid on his heavily-secured compound.
CBS News reported that the ultra-elite Delta Force unit were behind the capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The couple was seized from their bedroom in the dead of night by US forces as they slept, CNN reported. The raid did not lead to any US casualties.
The pair were snatched by helicopter from Caracas after their whereabouts were monitored by CIA spies, with President Donald Trump giving the order to take them two days ago.
President Trump says Maduro and his government have conspired to flood the United States with illegal drugs, and will now face trial in the US on drugs and weapons trafficking charges.
Maduro was previously indicted in 2020, during Trump's first term as president, on charges of importing cocaine into the US.
Further details are expected at a press conference set to be held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday morning.
An explosion rocks Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning during a US military operation which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Maduro's top lieutenants have demanded 'proof of life' for their missing leader, suggesting they fear he may have been killed in the raid.
The country's attorney general Tarek Saab added that 'innocents' had been 'mortally-wounded' during the US operation - but no further details were shared.
Congressional leaders were notified about the operation just after it was ignited, per CBS sources.
Delta Force, whose full title is the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, is one of the United States's most elite military units.
Its members - whose identities remain a secret - are tasked with carrying out the most dangerous missions on behalf of the US Army.
Delta Force's most famous operations include an October 2019 raid on the Syrian compound of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which resulted in his death.
Delta operators refer to themselves as 'the Unit' and are an elite counterterrorism unit.
The unit is known for dismantling major terrorist networks and targets and works closely with the CIA.
Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the unit operates under the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees special mission units.
A military vehicle destroyed by Saturday's strikes in Venezuela is seen burned-out as dawn breaks in Caracas on Saturday morning
The US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) is responsible for the unit's personnel management and administration.
Operators are also known to provide security for US leaders during their travels to dangerous or war-affected areas, per Military.com.
Delta Force unit is split into seven squadrons and each group is made up of three troops: Two troops conduct assaults and the third conducts reconnaissance and sniping.
Founded by Col. Charles Beckwith, he was inspired by the British Army's 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, their highly classified counter-terrorism unit.
Beckwith pushed for the unit for years, seeing the need for a US version of SAS amid rising terrorism, despite initial resistance.
The Pentagon and top Army officer finally allowed Beckwith to head the unit, and his team created the 'Robert Redford Paper,' per Sofrep.com.
The paper document outlined the process and explained the timeline needed to create the fully capable and powerful force.
Beckwith estimated it would take two years, and the unit was officially established on November 19, 1977.
1 comment:
God Bless our Special Operators, their families and 45-47.
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