F-22Raptor
Elite Member
Some official photos
Venezuela - US Conflict: News, Updates
- Thread starter Bharatah
- Start date
Some official photos
Shags101
Trusted Member
Don’t disagree much there either just as corrupt and spineless as the others had high hopes for barack but he was just a smooth talker than a man of action
Khansaheeb
Elite Member
It's all the Mexicans worried Mexico might be next.
Yousafzai_M
Registered Member
Lets see if the Russia-haters will stop bitching now about a powerful country invading a smaller nation, against international law bla bla.
I have a few Venezuelan friends and they hate Maduro more than anything else so they are happy to see him gone.
I doubt anyone in Pakistan would be concerned if the Americans do such an operation and kidnap Madari or Showbaaz.
I have a few Venezuelan friends and they hate Maduro more than anything else so they are happy to see him gone.
I doubt anyone in Pakistan would be concerned if the Americans do such an operation and kidnap Madari or Showbaaz.
lightning f57
Trusted Member
Uncle Sam is active in his own back yard after being fixated in the mid-east for so long. Central and south American countries must be nervous.
gambit
Professional
Ukraine, at least to my knowledge, was not exporting illegal drugs to Russia.
Khansaheeb
Elite Member
It's all a cover and diversion for the continued starvation and genocide in Gaza, Where the empire strikes next is anyone's guess:
www.bbc.com
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Tom Bennett
Getty Images
US President Donald Trump's second term is being shaped by his foreign policy ambitions.
He's followed through on threats against Venezuela by capturing its president and his wife from their heavily fortified Caracas compound in a dramatic overnight raid.
When describing the operation, Trump dusted off the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and its promise of US supremacy in the western hemisphere - re-branding it the "Donroe Doctrine".
Here are some of the warnings he's made against other nations in Washington's orbit in recent days.
"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security", he told journalists, saying the region was "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place."
The vast Arctic island, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits roughly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the north-east of the US.
It's rich in rare earth minerals, which are crucial for the production of smart phones, electric vehicles and military hardware. Currently, China's production of rare earths far outweighs that of the US.
Greenland also occupies a key strategic location in the North Atlantic, giving access to the increasingly important Arctic circle. As polar ices melt in the coming years, new shipping routes are expected to open up.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen responded to Trump by describing the notion of US control over the island as a "fantasy".
"No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law," he said.
Venezuela's neighbour to the west, Colombia is home to substantial oil reserves and is a major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal.
It is also a key hub for the region's drug trade - most notably cocaine.
Since the US began striking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in September - saying, without evidence, they were carrying drugs - Trump has been locked in a spiralling dispute with the country's left-wing president.
The US imposed sanctions on Petro in October, saying he was allowing cartels to "flourish".
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Colombia was being "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States".
"He's not going to be doing it for very long", he said. Asked whether the US would carry out an operation targeting Colombia, Trump replied, "It sounds good to me".
Historically, Colombia has been a close ally in Washington's war on drugs, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars annually in military assistance to counter cartels.
"We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.
Iran theoretically falls outside the scope defined in the "Donroe Doctrine", but Trump has nonetheless previously threatened the Iranian regime with further action, after striking its nuclear facilities last year.
Those strikes came after Israel launched a large-scale operation aimed at decapitating Iran's capability to develop a nuclear weapon, which culminated in the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.
In a Mar-a-Lago meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Iran was said to be top of the agenda. US media also reported that Netanyahu raised the potential of new strikes against Iran in 2026.
On his first day back in office in 2025, he signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America".
He has frequently claimed Mexican authorities aren't doing enough to stop the flow of drugs or illegal immigrants into the US.
Speaking on Sunday, he said that drugs were "pouring" through Mexico and "we're gonna have to do something", adding that the cartels there were "very strong."
Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected any US military action on Mexican soil.
Trump suggested on Sunday that US military intervention there wasn't needed, because Cuba is "ready to fall."
"I don't think we need any action", he said. "It looks like it's going down."
"I don't know if they're going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income," he added.
"They got all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil."
Venezuela reportedly supplies roughly 30% of Cuba's oil, leaving Havana exposed if supply collapses with Maduro gone.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio - who is the son of Cuban immigrants - has long called for regime change in Cuba, telling journalists on Saturday: "If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I'd be concerned - at least a little bit".
"When the president speaks, you should take him seriously," he said.
Which countries could be in Trump's sights next?
Trump has made numerous threats against other nations in Washington's orbit.
www.bbc.com
Which countries could be in Trump's sights after Venezuela?
7 hours agoShare
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Tom Bennett
US President Donald Trump's second term is being shaped by his foreign policy ambitions.
He's followed through on threats against Venezuela by capturing its president and his wife from their heavily fortified Caracas compound in a dramatic overnight raid.
When describing the operation, Trump dusted off the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and its promise of US supremacy in the western hemisphere - re-branding it the "Donroe Doctrine".
Here are some of the warnings he's made against other nations in Washington's orbit in recent days.
Greenland
The US already has a military base on Greenland - Pituffik Space Base - but Trump wants the whole island."We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security", he told journalists, saying the region was "covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place."
The vast Arctic island, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits roughly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the north-east of the US.
It's rich in rare earth minerals, which are crucial for the production of smart phones, electric vehicles and military hardware. Currently, China's production of rare earths far outweighs that of the US.
Greenland also occupies a key strategic location in the North Atlantic, giving access to the increasingly important Arctic circle. As polar ices melt in the coming years, new shipping routes are expected to open up.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen responded to Trump by describing the notion of US control over the island as a "fantasy".
"No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law," he said.
Colombia
Just hours after the operation in Venezuela, Trump warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to "watch his ass".Venezuela's neighbour to the west, Colombia is home to substantial oil reserves and is a major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal.
It is also a key hub for the region's drug trade - most notably cocaine.
Since the US began striking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in September - saying, without evidence, they were carrying drugs - Trump has been locked in a spiralling dispute with the country's left-wing president.
The US imposed sanctions on Petro in October, saying he was allowing cartels to "flourish".
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Colombia was being "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States".
"He's not going to be doing it for very long", he said. Asked whether the US would carry out an operation targeting Colombia, Trump replied, "It sounds good to me".
Historically, Colombia has been a close ally in Washington's war on drugs, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars annually in military assistance to counter cartels.
Iran
Iran is currently facing mass anti-government protests, and Trump warned overnight that the authorities there would be "hit very hard" if more protesters died."We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," he told reporters on Air Force One.
Iran theoretically falls outside the scope defined in the "Donroe Doctrine", but Trump has nonetheless previously threatened the Iranian regime with further action, after striking its nuclear facilities last year.
Those strikes came after Israel launched a large-scale operation aimed at decapitating Iran's capability to develop a nuclear weapon, which culminated in the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.
In a Mar-a-Lago meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Iran was said to be top of the agenda. US media also reported that Netanyahu raised the potential of new strikes against Iran in 2026.
Mexico
Trump's rise to power in 2016 was defined by his calls to "Build the Wall" along the southern border with Mexico.On his first day back in office in 2025, he signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America".
He has frequently claimed Mexican authorities aren't doing enough to stop the flow of drugs or illegal immigrants into the US.
Speaking on Sunday, he said that drugs were "pouring" through Mexico and "we're gonna have to do something", adding that the cartels there were "very strong."
Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected any US military action on Mexican soil.
Cuba
The island nation, just 90 miles (145 km) south of Florida, has been under US sanctions since the early 1960s. It held close relations with Nicolás Maduro's Venezuela.Trump suggested on Sunday that US military intervention there wasn't needed, because Cuba is "ready to fall."
"I don't think we need any action", he said. "It looks like it's going down."
"I don't know if they're going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income," he added.
"They got all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil."
Venezuela reportedly supplies roughly 30% of Cuba's oil, leaving Havana exposed if supply collapses with Maduro gone.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio - who is the son of Cuban immigrants - has long called for regime change in Cuba, telling journalists on Saturday: "If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I'd be concerned - at least a little bit".
"When the president speaks, you should take him seriously," he said.
AZ_HighCountry
INT'L MOD
Perhaps there are Mexicans in Mexico who would like to see US intervention.
Khansaheeb
Elite Member
@hamartia-antidote
The Flag
It stirs the heartof all who grasp,
in clenched hands it summons mountains of resolve.
To those who kiss it,
the timid robin rises as an eagle,
and fear is sewn into the enemy.
It is a lamp of freedom,
lighting living fire in every eye that knows love.
A rising spirit that sends a chill in the spine,
A shield against oppression,
the sword of free speech,
the stone that seals the grave of hate,
the honor carried by all who have fallen.
It is a fountain of resolve,
the values we cherish and defend,
standing taller than the reach of power or state.
It is grace in flight above a nation,
an emblem of hope, wealth, and promise,
the love of the constitution,
the human embrace that forges a people.
It is the bond that holds us
when division seeks to tear us apart.
Raise it high with your colorful hands. Hold it close.
Salute it—for it is yours.
And do not let stained hands take it from your hands.
Lift it with honesty.
Let truth be the wind that carries it.
Let cruelty and deceit tremble in its shadow.
Let it fly—
free, unwavering, and pure.
Watandar
Trusted Member
After kidnapping Maduro, the drugs will magically stop !
Btw I am still looking for those WMD's I was promised 20 years ago in Iraq.
Khansaheeb
Elite Member
The judge presiding over Maduro is a Jew:
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Madeline Halpertin court in New York
0:50
Watch: What it was like in the courtroom at Maduro's hearing
The sound of clanking leg shackles could be heard moments before Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro walked into the door of a New York City courtroom for the first time.
He then told packed rows of reporters and the public that he had just been "kidnapped".
Minutes after his entrance, the Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked Maduro to confirm his identity so the proceedings could start.
"I am, sir, Nicolás Maduro. I am president of the Republic of Venezuela and I am here kidnapped since January 3rd," he told the court in a calm Spanish before an interpreter translated for the court. "I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."
The 92-year-old judge quickly interjected to tell Maduro that there would be a "time and a place to get into all of this".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgx0ylzy8vo
During the dramatic 40-minute arraignment on Monday afternoon, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapon charges.
"I'm innocent. I'm a decent man," Maduro said, with Flores adding that she was "completely innocent".
The 63-year-old and his wife were transferred to a New York jail after they were arrested by US forces at their compound in Venezuela on Saturday, as part of a surprise overnight operation that also saw strikes on military bases.
Dressed in blue and orange jail shirts and khaki pants, the two wore headphones to listen to a Spanish translation during the hearing, an attorney sitting between them. Maduro took meticulous notes on a yellow legal pad that he asked a judge to confirm that he could keep with him after the hearing.
Reuters
Maduro and his wife were captured by US forces over the weekend and transferred to a New York jail
Reuters
They were transported to and from court in an armoured vehicle
When Maduro walked into the room - the same federal courtroom where Sean "Diddy" Combs was tried and convicted just months earlier - he turned around to nod at several members of the audience and greet them.
He maintained this calm and expressionless demeanour during the proceedings, even at the end, when a man watching from the public area suddenly shouted that Maduro would "pay" for his crimes.
"I'm a president and prisoner of war," he shouted towards the man in the audience in Spanish. The man was then escorted out of the room in tears.
The proceedings were emotional for others in the court as well. Maibort Petit, a reporter from Venezuela who has covered Maduro's administration, said the US missile strikes during Maduro's arrest damaged her family home near Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas.
She said it was surreal to watch her former leader escorted into court in prison garb by US marshals.
Maduro's wife, Flores, was much quieter, with bandages near her eyes and forehead for injuries her lawyers said she sustained during their weekend arrest.
She spoke softly with her blonde hair tied back in a bun while her lawyers asked that she be given proper medical treatment, including an xray of potentially bruised ribs and a fracture.
Maduro and his wife did not seek bail during the proceedings, but can do so at a later date, meaning they will remain in federal custody.
The US has accused Maduro of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Maduro was charged alongside his wife, son and several others. The next court hearing in the case has been scheduled for 17 March.
www.bbc.com
'I'm a prisoner of war' - In the room for Maduro's dramatic court hearing
5 hours agoShare
Save
Madeline Halpertin court in New York
0:50
Watch: What it was like in the courtroom at Maduro's hearing
The sound of clanking leg shackles could be heard moments before Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro walked into the door of a New York City courtroom for the first time.
He then told packed rows of reporters and the public that he had just been "kidnapped".
Minutes after his entrance, the Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked Maduro to confirm his identity so the proceedings could start.
"I am, sir, Nicolás Maduro. I am president of the Republic of Venezuela and I am here kidnapped since January 3rd," he told the court in a calm Spanish before an interpreter translated for the court. "I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela."
The 92-year-old judge quickly interjected to tell Maduro that there would be a "time and a place to get into all of this".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgx0ylzy8vo
During the dramatic 40-minute arraignment on Monday afternoon, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapon charges.
"I'm innocent. I'm a decent man," Maduro said, with Flores adding that she was "completely innocent".
The 63-year-old and his wife were transferred to a New York jail after they were arrested by US forces at their compound in Venezuela on Saturday, as part of a surprise overnight operation that also saw strikes on military bases.
Dressed in blue and orange jail shirts and khaki pants, the two wore headphones to listen to a Spanish translation during the hearing, an attorney sitting between them. Maduro took meticulous notes on a yellow legal pad that he asked a judge to confirm that he could keep with him after the hearing.
Maduro and his wife were captured by US forces over the weekend and transferred to a New York jail
They were transported to and from court in an armoured vehicle
When Maduro walked into the room - the same federal courtroom where Sean "Diddy" Combs was tried and convicted just months earlier - he turned around to nod at several members of the audience and greet them.
He maintained this calm and expressionless demeanour during the proceedings, even at the end, when a man watching from the public area suddenly shouted that Maduro would "pay" for his crimes.
"I'm a president and prisoner of war," he shouted towards the man in the audience in Spanish. The man was then escorted out of the room in tears.
The proceedings were emotional for others in the court as well. Maibort Petit, a reporter from Venezuela who has covered Maduro's administration, said the US missile strikes during Maduro's arrest damaged her family home near Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas.
She said it was surreal to watch her former leader escorted into court in prison garb by US marshals.
Maduro's wife, Flores, was much quieter, with bandages near her eyes and forehead for injuries her lawyers said she sustained during their weekend arrest.
She spoke softly with her blonde hair tied back in a bun while her lawyers asked that she be given proper medical treatment, including an xray of potentially bruised ribs and a fracture.
Maduro and his wife did not seek bail during the proceedings, but can do so at a later date, meaning they will remain in federal custody.
The US has accused Maduro of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Maduro was charged alongside his wife, son and several others. The next court hearing in the case has been scheduled for 17 March.
'I'm a prisoner of war' - In the room for Maduro's dramatic court hearing
During the 40-minute arraignment, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapon charges.
www.bbc.com
RocketLaw
Registered Member
️Yemeni artist Mustafa Al-Momawi:“The world is afraid of Trump. ‘Ohhh, did you see what Trump did to the Venezuelan president?!’
‘They took this president from inside his house and blah blah…’
Do you really believe these movies?!
America is weaker and more cowardly than to go to a country, drop paratroopers, and kidnap its president this easily.
This Venezuela. Its government and its army sold their president and coordinated with America. They sold him outright.
Some time ago, during Trump’s time, America sent ten aircraft to Yemen, Marines, and paratroopers to kidnap a Yemeni man named Abdulraouf Al-Dhahab. In the house there was only him, his wife, and four other people.
He and those four people alone killed eight Americans in the confrontation, and the Americans were unable to kidnap him. In the end, America bombed his house with his wife and the four who were with him.
This is America. They could not handle one Yemeni man named Abdulraouf Al-Dhahab, who had no army, no Arsenal, no guards, nothing at all, just alone in his house, and he faced America by himself.
And you believe they kidnapped a president of a country without any resistance?!
Where is the army? Where is the state? Where, where…
Sold out.
America, America… look at what we did to America in Yemen. Why don’t they drop paratroopers in Yemen?!
They know we would sell them as spare parts.”
From the Outside, America No Longer Sounds Like Itself
This is what people are talking about around the world today.
A lot of us are sitting here listening to the United States and thinking: do Americans hear how this sounds. Because from the outside, it sounds like a country coming unglued, impulsive, and willing to throw rules out the window the moment they get in the way.
And what is honestly shocking is how normal it seems to have become inside the US. People repeat the talking points, argue about the usual teams, and act like this is just another news cycle. But the rest of the world is hearing something else entirely. We are hearing threats. We are hearing contempt for allies. We are hearing a willingness to take what you want because you can.
That is the kind of behavior Americans used to point at in other countries and say, that is not who we are. Now it is coming from Washington, and people abroad are not guessing anymore. They are concluding.
In North America right now, Canada looks like the only adult in the room. Stable, boring, predictable, democratic. The kind of country you can actually trust from one year to the next.
Maybe Americans do not feel the change because it is happening from the inside. But from the outside, it is loud. And it is not a good sound.
Mehdipersian
Trusted Member
Here we all want to know whether Americans are a nation of thieves and terrorists or not, other questions have nothing to do with this issue.
Hamartia Antidote
Elite Member
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