What is Delta Force? US military unit behind Venezuela operation
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Venezuela’s strongman Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were “captured and flown out of the country” on Saturday morning in an apparently flawless operation led by Delta Force, one of the Pentagon’s most elite units.
Under direction of President Donald Trump, the special forces stormed a fortified compound in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, in the early hours of January 3 and grabbed Maduro and the first lady as part of “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
Why It Matters
Maduro and Flores are now facing criminal charges in the U.S. for narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges. In the absence of a leader, Trump said that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has since assumed power in Venezuela.
What To Know
The involvement of Delta Force troops in the capture of Maduro and his wife were confirmed by Trump this weekend. Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, is considered the army’s most elite counterterrorism and direct-action unit.
The elite force was created in 1977 and is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to Military.com, which describes it as “highly selective and extremely secretive.”
It specializes in high-risk missions involving the capture or killing of high-value targets, such as that of the Venezuelan strongman on Saturday, and it operates under control of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
The identity of the senior army officer leading the unit, however, is not publicly known, and the size of the unit is also classified information. It is unclear how many members of Delta Force took part in the capture of Maduro and his wife, who were inside a fortified residence at the time.
The administration only said that there were no reported U.S. casualties, though some troops were injured.
As of 2017, the latest time any figures were mentioned by an authoritative source, Delta Force had about 1,200 troops.
Most of Delta Force’s members are drawn by the army, Military.com writes, but some come from the National Guard and the Coast Guard as well.
It has been known to be previously involved in high-profile, high-stakes operations, such as the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in December 2003, as part of Operation Red Dawn.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the U.S. currently has no forces on the ground in Venezuela.
What People Are Saying
Trump told Fox News’ Fox & Friends Weekend on Saturday, praising troops involved in Maduro’s capture: “They rehearsed and practiced like nobody’s ever seen. And I was told by real military people that there’s no other country on earth that could do such a maneuver.
“The whole maneuver of the landings, the number of aircraft—which were massive—the number of helicopters, different types of helicopters, different types of fighter jets. We had a fighter jet for every possible situation.
“They just broke in and they broke into places that were not really able to be broken into. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday: “We don’t have U.S. forces on the ground,” adding that forces were in Venezuela “for about two hours when they went to capture Maduro.”
What Happens Next
It is unclear whether the U.S. will send troops on the ground in Venezuela again, though the administration has not mentioned doing so, or how it will work with the interim government that has taken over in the Latin American country.
However, Trump said on Saturday: “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”
Rubio said on Sunday that the U.S. would continue striking alleged drug boats around Venezuela and seize sanctioned boats.
“We will continue to target drug boats if they try to run towards the United States,” he noted. “We will continue to seize the boats that are sanctioned with court orders. We will continue to do that, and potentially other things, until the things we need to see addressed are addressed.”
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