At the center of the US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife was an elite and secretive special operations group, per multiple reports.
Citing officials, outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Delta Force, alongside law enforcement personnel, carried out the extraction of Maduro as part of Operation Absolute Resolve, a surprise nighttime raid of the Venezuelan leader’s compound in Caracas.
Business Insider wasn’t able to independently confirm the participation of the elite unit in the operation. The Pentagon directed BI’s queries to the White House.
In discussions of the complex operation, President Donald Trump said only that it was executed by “the most highly trained soldiers in the world,” adding that “there’s nobody that has their talent.”
The president may have been speaking about all of the personnel involved. US officials said that the operation to grab Maduro included land, air, sea, space, cyber, and intelligence forces. But Trump’s language could easily apply to Delta Force, a top-tier special operations unit.
Here is what we know about this elite force.
An essential but highly secretive group
Delta Force, officially known as the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D), is tasked with capturing and eliminating high-value targets. Like other tier-one special mission units, such as SEAL Team 6, Delta Force tackles some of the US Army’s most covert and complex tasks.
The special operations unit, founded by Col. Charlie Beckwith in the 1970s for direct combat action, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, is headquartered at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, also home to other Army special operations forces.
Operators train for rapid infiltration and exfiltration, intense close-quarters combat, precision marksmanship, demolition, hostage rescue, and more. Unlike some other units, Delta pulls the best warfighters it can from across the US armed forces, though it mainly draws from Army special operations forces. Known as “quiet professionals,” Delta Force operators generally do not speak openly about their activities.
Much of the elite force’s work is highly classified, but some Delta missions are public knowledge.
Delta Force was involved in the US operation, Just Cause, that ultimately led to the capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega during the 1989 invasion of Panama. And the group distinguished itself during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, made famous by the book and film “Black Hawk Down.” Two snipers were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.
This century, this unit was among the US special operations forces that surged into Afghanistan immediately after the 9/11 attacks, played a role in the 2003 capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and was involved in the death of the infamous Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.
And now reporting indicates Delta Force, along with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was instrumental in capturing Maduro.
The assault on Venezuela and raid on Maduro’s compound
The US president and other US officials shared details of the raid that captured Maduro on Saturday.
Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the apprehension team broke into a fortified compound to capture Maduro after months of planning. US intelligence agencies watched and studied his patterns of life, while other teams trained for the operation on a replica of Maduro’s home. The US used a similar tactic to ready for the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
Reports indicate Delta Force was inserted into the target area by the 160th SOAR, the Night Stalkers famous for their ability to get special operators in and out of tough spots.
With fighters, bombers, electronic warfare planes, and more delivering strikes and providing air cover, Caine said the helicopters carrying the extraction team were able to reach their target with “totally the element of surprise.”
During the complex apprehension operation, American operators moved fast through the building to find Maduro and his wife, seizing them before they could get the door closed on a steel safe room.
Trump said that Venezuela’s military was overwhelmed by US forces. Several American personnel were injured, the president said, and one of the helicopters was hit but remained flyable. No troops or equipment were lost in the operation.
The Trump administration is holding Maduro responsible for supporting narco-terrorism (drug trafficking) and other criminal activity. The recent operation is also about oil, with the administration accusing Venezuela of using oil revenue to fund malign activities. Maduro has denied the allegations.
Trump said on Saturday that the US would run Venezuela until a “safe, proper” election could occur. He also said that US oil companies would be entering the country, which has the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.
To secure these operations, he said that he’s not ruling out putting US troops on the ground. He said the US military is ready to conduct more attacks if needed.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Maduro and his wife were charged in New York with drug and weapons offenses. He is due to appear in court.
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