US Military Conducts Drill in Caracas Amid Maduro Kidnapping Allegations

The US military on Saturday conducted a drill in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas that rehearsed a potential emergency and evacuation at its embassy.

The exercise, which had been authorized by the Venezuelan authorities, is the first US military drill held in the country after Washington kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The drill involved two USMC MV-22B Osprey aircraft, which landed near the US Embassy, as well as naval vessels that entered Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean.

The US mission shared footage of the aircraft landing near the compound, stating the drill was a “military response exercise.”

“Ensuring the army’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the embassy said.

The markings of the aircraft suggested they belonged to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263. The unit is deployed aboard the amphibious assault vessel USS Iwo Jima, which is currently operating in the Caribbean. This is the ship to which Maduro and his wife were flown immediately after they were abducted.

The Pentagon’s activities triggered a small protest in the city as a few dozen activists gathered to condemn the exercise as a “humiliation” to the nation. The protesters were seen holding a Venezuelan flag on which the words ‘No to the Yankee drill’ were inscribed.

The kidnapping of Maduro effectively subjugated Venezuela to the US. The country’s interim authorities have actively cooperated with Washington since the raid. Maduro remains incarcerated in the US on multiple charges, including drug trafficking. He has strongly denied all the allegations, describing himself as a “prisoner of war.”