U.S. assets spent months in shadows for 90-minute mission in Caracas

The daring U.S. mission to capture Nicolas Maduro took root months ago with the insertion into Caracas of a team of CIA operatives and culminated in the early morning hours of Saturday with a surgical strike on the Venezuelan capital that involved hundreds of aircraft, ships and elite U.S. soldiers who stormed the dictator’s heavily guarded safe house to take him and his wife into custody.

More than 150 aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers and helicopters, played a role in inserting a team of Delta Force commandos into Mr. Maduro’s compound inside the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas.

Senior Trump administration and government officials confirmed to several news organizations over the weekend that U.S. intelligence operatives had been closely monitoring Mr. Maduro’s daily activities for months.

The U.S. closed its embassy in Venezuela in March 2019 and withdrew all diplomatic personnel because of the deteriorating political and security situation at the time. U.S. military planners still needed specific details about the Venezuelan leader’s whereabouts before U.S. troops were put into harm’s way.

Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said during a Saturday press conference at Mar-a-Lago that the CIA team tracking Mr. Maduro had given mission planners everything they needed to know about the Venezuelan strongman, including what kind of food he was eating and information about his pets.

“In early December, our force was set pending a series of aligned events,” Gen. Caine said while standing alongside President Trump. “Over the weeks through Christmas and New Year’s, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the president to order us into action.”

Mr. Trump had given the Venezuelan leader multiple opportunities to step down, even as a steadily growing armada of U.S. naval warships gathered off the coast. They spoke about a week before the mission, but Mr. Maduro refused to yield.

U.S. officials built a replica in Kentucky of Mr. Maduro’s compound, giving the commandos from the Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, better known as Delta Force, the opportunity to rehearse the mission repeatedly before Mr. Trump gave the order.

High winds and heavy clouds over Caracas delayed the attack for several days, but the weather broke by Friday. The conditions were acceptable for the pilots and the crews. The mission could proceed.

“He said to us … ‘Good luck and Godspeed,’ and those words were transmitted to the entire joint force,” Gen. Caine said.

Dozens of U.S. military aircraft began launching from 20 locations on land and at sea. Gen. Caine said “numerous” remotely piloted drones played a part in the mission, in addition to the jet fighters, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft.

“As the force began to approach Caracas, the joint air component began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area,” he said. “Thousands and thousands of hours of experience were airborne.”

The youngest crew member was 20, and the oldest was 49.

“There’s simply no match for American military might,” Gen. Caine said.

U.S. forces plunged Venezuela’s capital city into darkness as the MH-47 Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flew the commando force at treetop level toward Fort Tiuna, where Mr. Maduro was captured.

“The lights of Caracas were largely turned off, due to a certain expertise that we have,” Mr. Trump said.

The apprehension force, which included officials from the Justice Department, moved with “speed, precision and discipline” after they descended into the compound where the Venezuelan leader and his wife were living.

The helicopters came under fire when they arrived at the target area and responded with overwhelming force.

One of the aircraft was hit but remained flyable for the duration of the mission, Gen. Caine said.

Intelligence teams provided troops on the ground with real-time updates, ensuring they could safely navigate the complex terrain without unnecessary risk. The force was protected by overhead tactical aircraft throughout the mission, Gen. Caine said.

Mr. Maduro was moving toward an armored safe room inside his compound when the Delta Force commandos burst into the room. They caught him before he could shut the door.

Also nabbed was his wife, Cilia Flores. Her federal grand jury indictment on drug trafficking and weapons charges was unsealed after U.S. forces captured her and Mr. Maduro. After they were secured, the apprehension force began preparing for their departure.

Helicopters were called in for the extraction while fighters and drones provided overhead coverage and suppressive fire.

“There were multiple self-defense engagements as the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela,” Gen. Caine said.

The Delta Force commandos, along with the ousted leader and his wife, were safely clear of Venezuelan territory about 90 minutes after they landed at Mr. Maduro’s compound.

“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again, not to get it right but to ensure that we cannot get it wrong,” Gen. Caine said. “Our jobs are to integrate combat power so when the time comes, we can deliver overwhelming force at the time and place of our choosing against any foe anywhere in the world.”