I can think of scenarios that fit that fact-pattern.
What if the US made deals with the second and lower layers of the VZ power structure and they just all stood aside when it was time to collect Maduro?
What if Maduro himself feared that he was about to be taken out by his own cabinet and/or military soon anyway and cut a deal with the US to come and collect him?
I’m cautious of mapping into the “we’re just THAT good” narrative because while it feels good, I don’t think that’s the case.
When I heard they got both he and his wife alive, I too made the leap to they agreed to be removed ahead of time.
From a military skill standpoint I’d say extracting an older man and his wife with what sounds like limited collateral damage is waaaay harder and shows much more skill than just carpet bombing the place.
No one came and extracted our drug pusher supported fraudulent president .
Well, with special operations, I think we really are that good. BUT it’s the fun house afterwards that turns to suck in a hurry. I don’t know if you do but I’d avoid using Hegseth as a benchmark either way. His face is in the margin of my Funk & Wagnel’s next to the word “tool.”
I don’t think he agreed to be taken out. Trump offered that if he resigned he’d be allowed to go into exile. I’m sure he could have left with enough $ to live comfortably in Spain or Switzerland.
I think it’s more likely that the CIA arranged something with several generals to allow the operation to take place unimpeded.
As one of their glorified bus drivers, I flew the SEALs (I’m NOT one) in training for that scenario a lot under all kinds of threats, etc. That was back in the late eighties and early nineties mostly and they were really good at it including live fire training at night. I was always glad they were on our side. I would think they’re way better at it now. Most memorable for me was a night vision goggle training mission on Oahu, live fire, SEAL team fast rope insert, two aircraft in a 15 foot hover during the fast rope, wait for the captured couple, load in one aircraft, cover fire, extraction. It was in '94 and a similar mission, similar scenario as Venezuela. We had to (got to for me and the other pilots) do it twice that night. And they paid me.
I don’t doubt that, I am however questioning the complete lack of using manpads or even RPGs or even machine guns…nothing. Crickets.
Helicopters are what they are and you know that better than anybody.
That’s what Douglas MacGregor was saying as well.
How many boots on the ground? I dunno…how many boots does it take to secure 6000-8000 square kilometers?
With operations spread all over…deep in the jungle?
So I will ask, if the captured couple was hesitant or even as simple as she was wearing flip flops, would it have worked?
I looked it up, he is 63 and she is 69. We can’t load senior couples onto Disney rides without stopping the ride.
Will we get Vietnam 2.0?
Bwahahahahaaa! That’s a great line! You owe me a keyboard
he arguably has upwards of 60 billion that’s billion with a B of cryptocurrency. If he’s left alive, he’s gonna be OK…
They’re carried in if they don’t move fast enough and disabled if necessary.
With the clear laid out objectives of the secretary of war, the president and his new Viceroy Rubio, it takes as many boots as necessary to kill all the right people and lower our taxes. (but they’ll be fantastic boots Chris; shiny beautifully perfectly matched pairs of boots and the world will love them).
I would like Pete to explain exactly what the rest of the country is going to find out because Maduro fucked around.
Well, we just lost Afghanistan 1.0 for several trillion, taking twenty years and thousands dead, so Vietnam 2.0 might be better, like smashing your thumb with an eight pound sledge instead of a sixteen pounder.
Is it possible that this is a reflection of what their military has degraded into, or is it more likely that it was on purpose?
I suspect we have people scouring his properties looking for his crypto keys. Unless he has them memorized and never written down they’re gone. The question is will the US treasury end up with them or will the Trumpster, a family member, or some other crony get them. It will be like the Libyan state gold reserves, vanished.
Chris Hedges is on point (IMO).
New Venezuela central bank is in the works.
Most of the pro-Trump, pro-invasion propaganda posts and comments flooding your (and my) feeds.
JFK quote for good measure.
I think countless Osama type operations. Some rebel on roof tries to shoot helicopter. Or even accidentally hit with smallfire to critical place or personnel.
Or mortar crew hitting too close.
Granted with behaviour “scanning” of patterns months before in each place before this kind of op greatly reduces failure chances, so do if kidnapped person is in on it.
Especially if that is true of russian special group (with special equipment) was there to protect Maduro.
I could guess either they missed bus or deliberately were guided in wrong place. Looking chinese and russian military equipment installed in VZ they must have pretty good communication channels, usually red phones level for military things.
If Maduro betrayed russians in this, we shall hear some cracks in next weeks.
How big is oilfield in Syria? US keeps bases and some 5000 troops there basicly as security guards for that oilfield and shipments. Air support and other goodies are nearby, maybe in Israel and Germany.
Thing with middle east is, it is open desert. Satellites and scanners have good features nowadays, but movement on foot is biggest thing in jungle. One could see something is happening, but folks need to go there to fight or check things. In desert they could just park helicopter and rope land on the spot.
With stated plans and oil companies making travel plans, they are going there. Isnt jungle oil still cheaper to drill than offshore VZ oil they also have?
Does US gov ever do profit loss calculations in these occupations… eg have 5000 men fully equipped and logistics to be security guards for oil field producing x dollars worth a day juicy liquid (Where profit margin is much lower than revenue) while upkeep of those forces also costs y dollars a day taxpayer money… Calculations would change drastically done this way. Of course IF peak shale oil gets in real trouble, oil value would be almost limitless for US in this case(print more cash and 10k$ a month special soldier paycheck isnt that great anymore; oil could be 200$ a barrel at this point).
Of course one could argue adding this taxpayer bill to barrel of oil, it could already be 150-250$ in free market. But it is subsidized like this so moot point.
Without making you fill a drool cup from my Fred Flinstone aged experiences and guesses, History Legends I think, answered most of your questions:
