CARACAS, May 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. military conducted a drill over the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, its first military exercise in the South American nation since U.S. troops attacked the capital and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3.
Venezuelan authorities say that attack killed at least 100 people.
The latest drill, which the Venezuelan government said it had authorized as an evacuation drill for possible medical emergencies or disasters, included two MV-22B Osprey aircraft that landed near the U.S. embassy and vessels that entered Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean Sea.
Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. embassy said in a statement it remained “committed to ensuring the implementation” of President Donald Trump’s three-phase plan, “particularly the stabilization of Venezuela.”
The embassy said Francis Donovan, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Americas, was present in Caracas.
“This keeps us on guard,” said Evelyn Rebolledo, 57, an administrator living in the capital.
“A foreign country flying over the city itself, this is new to us and more so coming from the United States, given the current situation and all the turmoil in the country. It leaves us in a state of uncertainty.”
Trump’s administration has backed the government of Delcy Rodriguez, formerly Maduro’s vice president, which has passed laws to open up Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and mining resources to the U.S.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by David Gregorio)
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