Nicolás Maduro led the rescue operation of the soldiers kidnapped in Apure

The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, led the military “rescue” operation of the 8 members of the Armed Forces released this Monday.

It happened after they were kidnapped on April 23 in the state of Apure, bordering Colombia, by a group of FARC dissidents, the military high command Remigio Ceballos reported on Tuesday.

“The president of the republic, Nicolás Maduro, led the military operation that achieved the rescue of a group of professionals from our Bolivarian National Armed Forces who were kidnapped by terrorist groups and drug traffickers in Colombia,” wrote Ceballos, strategic operational commander of the Armed Forces, on Twitter.

He specified that, upon arriving in Caracas from Apure, which are some 900 kilometers away, Maduro ordered that they be received and treated by military medical personnel, who “carried out a detailed study of their health, verifying their excellent physical conditions”.

Ceballos thanked the work of the people who made possible “the planning and execution” of the military operation that “guaranteed the safe return” of the military, which occurred one day after the parties began a truce after more than two months of clashes.

The announcement of the release was made on Monday night by the director of the NGO Fundaredes, Javier Tarazona, who, in the face of government silence, reported on the development of the confrontations since its beginning, as well as the kidnapping, a week before it was confirmed by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López.

The Venezuelan opposition led by Juan Guaidó criticized the government’s management regarding the kidnapping of the military since it became known and repeatedly demanded their release, both through social networks and public interventions.

However, neither the opponent nor any member of his team spoke out after the armed forces were released.