Richard Saunders, Manila
The CIA is setting up a permanent outpost in Venezuela, from where it will reportedly replicate its work in Ukraine. That could mean anything from controlling local politicians to turning the country into a forward operating base for regime change.
With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in US custody and acting President Delcy Rodriguez cooperating with Washington, America’s “priority number one” is to establish a CIA “annex” in Caracas, an anonymous US source told CNN on Tuesday. Long before the formal opening of a US embassy, this outpost will allow CIA agents to reach out to Rodriguez’s government and opposition parties, and “target third parties who may be threats,” the source said.
That the CIA would want to expand its operations in Venezuela is no surprise. US President Donald Trump authorized the agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela last October, three months before Maduro was abducted by US special forces. Following the raid, CIA Director John Ratcliffe was the first senior American official to visit Venezuela to meet with Rodriguez and her military chiefs.
However, one comment by CNN’s source stands out. Paraphrasing the official, CNN said the CIA’s work in Venezuela would parallel “the agency’s work in Ukraine.”
