A highly secretive unit within the CIA known as ‘Ground Branch’ played a key role in facilitating the entry of Special Forces into Nicolas Maduro’s stronghold in Venezuela, as discovered by The Mirror. The Ground Branch team, operating from the CIA Special Activities Centre, was deployed in Caracas since August to surveil Maduro’s activities.
Their clandestine mission included identifying access points for Army Delta Force commandos and compiling detailed information on Maduro’s daily routines and security arrangements. The team navigated through Caracas, evading local security forces, while meticulously planning every aspect of the mission. The operation culminated in the capture of Maduro, his wife, and others in a coordinated effort involving warplanes and ships.
Comprised of elite spies with backgrounds in Army Delta Force and Navy SEALs, the Ground Branch unit is a highly classified ‘black ops’ group within the US intelligence community. Concurrently, traditional CIA operatives were engaging defectors from Maduro’s regime to gather additional intelligence.
The operation, considered one of Ground Branch’s most daring in recent years, heavily relied on defectors to identify targets and gather critical information. The unit’s covert nature and lack of official cover meant that any mishap would have left them unsupported. Recruitment for Ground Branch is shrouded in secrecy, with operatives undergoing extensive screening and training in espionage tactics.
Established in response to the need for a specialized paramilitary force, Ground Branch operatives excel in a variety of roles, from intelligence gathering to sabotage and assassination. The unit’s origins trace back to the aftermath of the failed 1980 Operation Eagle Claw in Iran, under President Jimmy Carter’s administration.
In comparison to the UK’s SAS ‘E Squadron,’ which collaborates closely with MI6, Ground Branch remains a pinnacle of covert operations within the US intelligence community.