Trump says Venezuela's Maduro captured after strikes

The US has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, who has been taken out of the country, President Donald Trump said on Saturday.

The US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin American 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 US 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.

The Venezuelan government said attacks also took place in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, prompting Maduro to declare a national emergency and mobilise defence forces.

Blasts, aircraft and black smoke could be seen across Caracas from about 2 a.m. (0600 GMT) for roughly 90 minutes, according to Reuters witnesses and images circulating on social media.

Across the city, Venezuelans expressed shock and fear as they captured video of billowing smoke and bright orange flashes in the sky. “My love, oh no, look at that,” said one woman in a video, gasping at blasts in the distance.

ATTACK FOLLOWS US MILITARY BUILDUP

A power outage affected the southern area of the city, near a major military base, witnesses said.

Trump has repeatedly promised land operations in the South American oil producer, which Maduro has led since 2013.

The US, Venezuela's opposition and various other nations say Maduro rigged an election last year to stay in power.

Trump has not publicly detailed his aims but has privately pressured Maduro to flee the nation, Reuters has reported. Trump said on Monday it would be "smart" for Maduro to leave power.

The Venezuelan government in its statement said the goal of the attack is for the United States to take possession of the country's oil and minerals. It added that the United States "will not succeed" in taking the resources.

The US has made a major military buildup in the region, including an aircraft carrier, warships and advanced fighter jets stationed in the Caribbean.

Trump has sought a "blockade" of Venezuelan oil, expanded sanctions against the Maduro government and staged more than two dozen strikes on vessels the US alleges were involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Last week, Trump said the United States had hit an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since the pressure campaign began.

He did not say whether those strikes were carried out by the CIA or not. Other media outlets have reported that the spy agency was behind them.

Trump has accused Venezuela of flooding the US with drugs, and his administration has for months been bombing boats originating in South America that it alleges were carrying drugs. Many nations have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings and Maduro's government has always denied any involvement with drug trafficking.