US Conducts Military Drill Over Caracas Amid Speculation on Evacuation Plan

US Military Conducts Drill Over Caracas

The US military conducted a drill over Caracas on Saturday, marking its first military exercise in Venezuela since US troops attacked the capital and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3. The attack killed at least 100 people.

Venezuelan authorities authorized the drill as an evacuation drill for possible medical emergencies or disasters. It included two MV-22B Osprey aircraft that landed near the US embassy and vessels entering Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean Sea.

The US embassy stated it remained committed to President Donald Trump’s three-phase plan, particularly the stabilization of Venezuela. Francis Donovan, commander of the US Southern Command, flew on one of the Osprey aircraft into Caracas for meetings with interim government officials.

Evelyn Rebolledo, a 57-year-old administrator in the capital, expressed that the presence of foreign military forces from the United States leaves her and others in a state of uncertainty. The Trump administration supports Delcy Rodriguez’s government, which has opened Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and mining resources to the US.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spoke to hundreds of Venezuelan emigrants at a rally in Panama City, pledging to continue organizing the movement as she awaits her return to the country. The Nobel Prize laureate, who has sought Trump’s favor, has spoken with supporters and leaders from around the world since fleeing Venezuela last December.