In a startling revelation of covert planning, it has emerged that elite United States Special Forces conducted meticulous rehearsals, even employing blowtorches, for a high-stakes operation aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The audacious plan, formulated during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, was ultimately aborted, leaving a trail of intrigue about Washington's direct interventionist strategies in Latin America.
The Genesis of a Covert Capture Plan
The blueprint for capturing the Venezuelan leader was not a spontaneous idea but a seriously considered military option. According to sources familiar with the planning, the operation was designed to be executed by a small, highly trained team of US commandos. Their objective was clear: apprehend President Nicolas Maduro and extradite him to the United States to face serious charges, including narcoterrorism.
This planning phase gained significant momentum following the dramatic events of early 2020. In May of that year, a bizarre incident known as the 'Operation Gideon' or the 'Bay of Piglets' invasion unfolded, where a group of American mercenaries attempted a botched maritime incursion to overthrow Maduro. The failure of this private militia operation seemingly pushed US officials to contemplate a more direct and professional military approach to achieve the same goal.
Blowtorches and Meticulous Rehearsals
The most striking detail of the preparation involves the tools and methods used during rehearsals. US Special Forces operatives are reported to have practiced with blowtorches, simulating the breaching of heavy doors, gates, or other barriers they anticipated encountering at Maduro's likely locations. This level of detail underscores the operation's complexity and the expectation of fortified resistance.
These rehearsals were part of extensive training exercises conducted at undisclosed facilities, designed to mimic the Venezuelan environment and the specific security challenges posed by Maduro's presidential guards and residences. The planning reportedly involved intelligence from Colombian counterparts and Venezuelan defectors, mapping out possible routes, entry points, and extraction plans for the high-value target.
Why the Mission Was Scrapped
Despite the advanced planning and training, the green light for the capture operation was never given. Several critical factors contributed to its cancellation. Foremost among them were the immense risks of a potential military confrontation and the high probability of significant civilian casualties. US officials weighed the strategic fallout of such an overt act of regime change on foreign soil, which could have sparked a major regional conflict and drawn condemnation globally.
Furthermore, the logistical and political complexities of successfully extracting Maduro from Venezuela and transporting him to the US were deemed prohibitively dangerous. The plan, while technically within the realm of special operations capabilities, presented a political quagmire that the Trump administration ultimately chose to avoid. The focus subsequently shifted back to diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions as the primary tools against Maduro's government.
Aftermath and Continuing Tensions
The revelation of this planned capture mission sheds new light on the extreme lengths considered by the US government to force a change in leadership in Venezuela. It highlights a period of heightened aggression in US policy, moving beyond sanctions to active kinetic planning. For the Venezuelan government, this information serves as potent propaganda to bolster its narrative of being under constant threat from 'imperialist' forces.
Today, Nicolas Maduro remains in power, having consolidated his position despite relentless US pressure. The relationship between Washington and Caracas remains frozen, with the US continuing to recognize opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim president. The story of the aborted Special Forces mission stands as a testament to a volatile chapter where the line between covert action and outright war in Venezuela nearly vanished.
The details, now public, raise profound questions about the boundaries of international law and the future of US interventionist policy. They also serve as a reminder of the shadow wars that are planned but never executed, whose full stories often emerge only years later.
