Delta Force, other special operations soldiers carried out Venezuela raid

Delta Force and soldiers with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were involved in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in the early hours of Saturday, Task & Purpose has learned.

In a press conference Saturday morning, President Donald Trump said that no U.S. personnel were killed in the attack, which saw airstrikes hit several sites in Venezuela. U.S. special operations forces moved in by helicopter into the capital of Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. They are now being held on a U.S. Navy ship in the Caribbean.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, speaking with Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said that the attack — Operation Absolute Resolve — was a “culmination of months of planning and rehearsal.”

Troops were staged and “sat ready” during late December, Caine said. He pointed to good weather conditions on Friday night. Trump gave the approval shortly before 11 p.m. Eastern Time. 

The operation involved 150 aircraft from 20 different bases and ships, Caine said, including Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps fighter jets and bombers.

160th SOAR helicopters flew low over the Caribbean Sea until they reached land. Fighters and bombers provided air cover. The helicopters fired on Venezuelan ground defenses when the U.S. forces came under fire during the raid. One helicopter was damaged but remained operational during the mission, Caine said.

The United States is prepared to launch a second attack on Venezuela, Trump said. Venezuela’s government declared an emergency as the attack started last night. The United States currently has more than 15,000 troops in the Caribbean region, including several destroyers and the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. 

This is a developing story.

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