By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
US early Saturday launched fierce air strikes on Caracas and claimed its forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the orders of President Donald Trump.
President Trump later said American forces carried out an “extraordinary” overnight military operation in Venezuela’s capital, claiming it resulted in the capture of President Maduro and the complete neutralisation of the country’s military capabilities.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump described the assault as one of the most powerful demonstrations of US military strength in history. “Late last night and early today, at my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” Trump said.
“Overwhelming military power — air, land and sea — was used to launch a spectacular assault, an assault like people have not seen since World War Two.”
Maduro along with his wife was taken to an undisclosed destination, media reports said. However, there was no independent confirmation.
President Trump said Venezuelan President Maduro had been captured by US forces, marking a dramatic turn in Washington’s long-running confrontation with the leftist leader, whom the US has accused of running drug cartels and overseeing widespread rights abuses.
Trump’s statement came hours after several explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, triggering uncertainty and confusion across the country. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United States had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader”, adding that the operation was conducted with US law enforcement agencies and that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown out of the country.
Maduro was born on November 23, 1962, into a working-class family and is the son of a trade union leader. He worked as a bus driver in the early 1990s, around the time army officer Hugo Chavez led a failed coup attempt in 1992. Maduro later campaigned for Chavez’s release from prison and emerged as a committed supporter of his leftist political project.
After Chavez won the presidency in 1998, Maduro entered formal politics and secured a seat in the legislature. He went on to become president of the National Assembly and later served as foreign minister, travelling extensively to build international alliances backed by Venezuela’s oil wealth. Chavez publicly named Maduro as his chosen successor before his death.
As the US strafed Caracas on the orders of Trump, loud explosions were heard across parts of Venezuelan capital, early Saturday.
According to media reports, the explosions were heard around 2 am local time (0600 GMT). At least a dozen explosions were heard, along with aircraft flying at low altitude over several neighbourhoods of the Venezuelan capital. Venezuelan defence sources said the government was assessing the damage caused by the US strikes.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan government has declared a state of emergency, calling on people to mobilise to “defeat this imperialist aggression”.
