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'Sophisticated, complicated, successful': How Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described Maduro's capture
US military on Saturday attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro who will face criminal charges in New York.
Praising the role of American soldiers in the capture of Venezula President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, US war secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation as the most sophisticated, complicated and successful of all time.
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“I saw the best of America. I saw men and women dedicating their lives to the country and to accomplishing that mission…It is incredible to be able to serve,” Hegseth said in an interview with American journalist Tony Dokoupil.
Watch: Pete Hegseth calls Maduro’s fall 'sheer guts & glory' after US operation; 'He f****d around...'
“It can only be described as the most sophisticated, the most successful and the most complicated operations of all times,” the US official said.
Hegseth further said in the interview that the soldiers were given a mission by US President Donald Trump and they got it done “despite any obstacles in front of them.”
“It is incredible to be able to serve Such skilled courageous and brave Americans,” Hegseth said.
Listen to what Hegseth said while praising American soldiers:
Amid the developments, Democratic US Congress members alleged that Hegseth was among the Trump officials who during their briefings in the past couple of months insisted that there were no plans for a land invasion inside Venezuela and that the administration was not focused on regime change.
US strike on Venezuela and Maduro's dramatic capture
On Saturday, the United States captured Maduro and his wife and flew them out of Venezuela in an extraordinary military operation, removing a sitting leader from office. The couple has been flown to New York where they are likely to be imprisoned in federal custody and face criminal charges in connection with a Justice Department indictment accusing them of a role in narco-terrorism conspiracy, according to news agency AP.
Also read: Colombia president should 'watch his ass': Trump’s warning after Venezuela strikes
Following the dramatic capture, Trump has said the US would run the country at least temporarily and would tap Venezuelan's vast oil reserves to sell “large amounts” to other countries.
According to US officials, the operation dubbed as “Absolute Resolve”, had been planned and rehearsed for months. Once launched, it unfolded in under 30 minutes and ended Nicolás Maduro’s rule within hours.
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The US strike on Venezuela and Maduro's subsequent capture marked the culmination of an escalating Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela that consisted of months of strikes on boats officials said were smuggling drugs to the US.
Also read: How did Russia and China react to US attacks on Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro?
Behind the scenes, US officials tracked Maduro's behavioral habits, including what he ate and where he slept, in preparing to execute an operation that resulted in one of the more stunning regime changes in modern history, AP reported.
