Rais wa Marekani, Donald Trump, ametangaza kuwa Marekani imefanya mashambulizi makubwa ya kijeshi dhidi ya Venezuela na kufanikiwa kumkamata Rais wa nchi hiyo, Nicolás Maduro, pamoja na mke wake.
Kupitia taarifa aliyotoa kwenye mtandao wake wa Truth Social, Trump amesema operesheni hiyo ilifanywa kwa kushirikiana na vyombo vya usalama vya Marekani, huku akieleza kuwa maelezo zaidi yatatolewa katika mkutano na waandishi wa habari uliopangwa kufanyika saa 11:00 asubuhi kwa saa za Marekani Mashariki, katika makazi yake ya Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
Hata hivyo, Rais Trump hakutoa maelezo ya kina kuhusu jinsi Maduro alivyokamatwa wala amepelekwa wapi, wakati serikali ya Venezuela bado haijathibitisha rasmi taarifa hizo.
Trump says Venezuela's Maduro captured after strikes
WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, who has been taken out of the country, President Donald Trump said on Saturday.
The U.S. has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.
"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government.
The U.S. has accused Maduro of running a "narco-state" and rigging an election. The Venezuelan leader, who succeeded Hugo Chavez to take power in 2013, has said Washington wants to take control of its oil reserves, the largest in the world.
Source: Reuters