RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Venezuelan authorities have apparently thwarted an armed invasion involving US citizen mercenaries.
According to the report, a group of paramilitary personnel is said to have landed on the northern Venezuelan coast on Sunday. The invaders were wiped out, only two of the soldiers survived, according to reports from Caracas.
The incident is said to have taken place at dawn. The armed command approached the coastal state of La Guaira north of the capital on speedboats, according to the Caracas report.
The incident took place in the midst of a tightening sanctions policy and military threats by the USA against Venezuela.
“A group of terrorist mercenaries, organized and trained in Colombia, attempted to disembark off the coast of La Guaira with weapons of war,” said a statement by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB).
The attempted invasion was thwarted by a concerted effort of intelligence work and defense by the Army and police, who reacted promptly.
Eight members of the paramilitary group were killed in an armed conflict, and two were arrested. On the Venezuelan side, there are no reports of injuries.
Military equipment and weapons were reportedly seized during the operation. According to initial assessments by Venezuela, at least some of the equipment is said to have been taken during a failed military coup attempt on April 30th, 2019.
Divers are now searching the waters off the landing site for more weapons, and naval vessels are patrolling the coast to look for other potential mercenary boats.
Following the incident, the Venezuelan government has now mobilized over 25,000 soldiers. They will search for potential invaders in the country, authorities said. So far a dozen suspects have been arrested.
Among them are two US citizens, alleged President Nicolás Maduro. The nationality of the other detainees is still unknown.
Before the failed military action on Sunday, the US news agency Associated Press reported that former US elite soldier Jordan Goudreau played a key role in a planned invasion under the leadership of retired Venezuelan Major General Cliver Alcala.
Goudreau was in charge of training a contingent of 300 Venezuelan army deserters to enter Venezuela with a heavily armed contingent and take over the capital within 96 hours. Goudreau is the founder of the US mercenary company SilvercorpUSA.
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