United States President Donald Trump will meet on Friday with the special forces soldiers who captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a deadly raid in Caracas in January. First Lady Melania Trump will accompany her husband for the trip to greet the troops at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, the White House said. Eighty-three people were killed and more than 112 people were injured in the assault, which began with US bombing raids on Venezuelan military targets, Venezuelan officials said. The US president has repeatedly hailed the Maduro operation as an example of his country’s military might as he asserts Washington’s right to dominate its backyard. In a rally in Iowa in January, Trump hailed the “spectacular” operation by a “group of unbelievable talented patriotic people that love our country.

Source: Punch February 13, 2026 09:35 UTC