Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro captured by US Delta Force: What is this specialised army unit?

First came the news of explosions in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Then US President Donald Trump dropped a bomb when he revealed that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country along with his wife, Cilia Flores. He said the US carried out a “large-scale strike” against the South American country in the early hours of Saturday morning.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote: “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.”

Speaking to the New York Times, Trump added that “it was a brilliant operation, actually”. He told the newspaper in a phone interview: “A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people.”

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Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that the nation was unaware of Maduro’s location and demanded “immediate proof of life” for them both.

While details about Maduro’s capture remains slim as of now, it has emerged that members of Delta Force, the US military’s top special mission unit, carried out this task. But what is known about this dangerous and secretive military unit?

What is the Delta Force?

Officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), the Delta Force is an elite special forces unit of the United States army. Over the years, It has also been referred to as the Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), Task Force Green, and simply “the Unit,” as well as a host of cover names.

The Delta Force is primarily tasked with counterterrorism and hostage rescue mission sets. It is a relatively young unit of the US army — it was formed in 1977 by Charlie Beckwith and is modelled after the British 22nd Special Air Services (SAS).

According to Military.com, Beckwith saw the need for a precision strike force within the army as a result of the growing threat of terrorism around the world.

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Notably, its first mission came during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. In November, 53 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive in the US embassy in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Dubbed Operation Eagle Claw, Delta Force’s mission was to attack the embassy and recover the hostages. However, it was a failure.

Since then, the Delta Force has become one of America’s most dangerous units and specialises in a wide range of other special operations mission sets, including special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, counter-proliferation, and counter-weapons of mass destruction. However, as National Interest reports, its bread and butter is taking down bad guys or rescuing hostages anywhere around the world.

How are soldiers recruited into the Delta Force?

Recruits for the Delta Force come from within the US army, mainly the Ranger Regiments and Special Forces Groups. Recruits must be in the army and have at least two-and-a-half years of service left on enlistment.

To be selected, potential candidates have to undergo a gruelling regimen of exercises that test physical fitness, endurance and mental strength. It is said that of 100 candidates, 90 fail the high standards required for the Delta Force.

According to the book Inside Delta Force by retired Delta member Eric L Haney, the Delta Force training programme at one point involved evading the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He explains, “new operators had to make it to a meeting with a contact in Washington DC, without being apprehended by local FBI agents, who had been given their identifying information and told they were dangerous criminals.”

What missions have the Delta Force been involved in?

Some of America’s most important missions have been carried out by troops of the Delta Force. While most are top secret in nature, some of the operations have been divulged. In 1993, Delta Force was tasked with capturing Somali warlord Muhammad Farah Aydid. At the time, he was hiding in Olympic Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The unit’s extraction team was delayed by Somali roadblocks, however, and two of the operators’ Black Hawk helicopters were downed by rocket-propelled grenades. The resulting Battle of Mogadishu saw several Delta operators killed. Two of the operators — Sgt 1st Class Randy Shughart and Master Sgt Gary Gordon — died while trying to secure one of the Black Hawk crash sites; they were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Delta Force also assisted in evacuating the US embassy in Tripoli, Libya, as the 2012 Benghazi attack was happening. Delta Force was also involved in the capture of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In October 2019, Delta Force also carried out a mission to capture Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. As troops of the special unit reached his compound, Baghdadi detonated a suicide bomb vest, killing himself and two of his children.

As an official once said about the Delta Force — “They are the lethal tip of the spear.”

With inputs from agencies