Top US commander makes surprise visit to Venezuela weeks after Maduro capture
US Southern Command chief met with Venezuela’s president and other leaders for security talks
The top commander overseeing US forces in Latin America, General Francis Donovan, and senior Pentagon official Joseph Humire made a surprise visit to Venezuela on Wednesday for security talks, US officials said.
The trip is the first by a US military delegation since US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in an audacious raid last month and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. The visit was first reported by Reuters.
Venezuela’s government said the US military delegation met interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. The two sides agreed to work together to combat drug trafficking, terrorism and migration, it added.
Both Padrino and Cabello face indictments related to drug trafficking in the United States.
The US military’s visit follows a trip last week by US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to Caracas.
Together, the two trips highlight US President Donald Trump’s efforts to use military might and energy policy to push Venezuela to carry out sweeping reforms.