Venezuela Approves US Military Air Training Over Caracas

SadaNews - Venezuela announced late Thursday to Friday that it has allowed the United States to fly over Caracas as part of an embassy evacuation training, a highly symbolic step five months after the US attack on the capital that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

The Foreign Minister, Iván Gil, stated, "At the request of the US embassy, the (Venezuelan) authorities allowed evacuation training to be conducted on Saturday, May 23, in preparation for potential medical emergencies or catastrophic events."

He added in a statement via state television, "As part of the training, two aircraft will fly over the city of Caracas and land at the US embassy facilities."

The US forces typically use helicopters in evacuation operations.

The flight of the two aircraft will symbolize the shift in US-Venezuelan relations since the socialist president Nicolás Maduro was overthrown on January 3 during a US military operation in Caracas.

The operation to overthrow Maduro began with airstrikes in the early dawn hours on Venezuelan air defenses, culminating in his capture at a military complex in Caracas.

He was flown to the United States where he was imprisoned awaiting trial on drug-related charges and other counts.

This paved the way for improved relations between Washington and Caracas.