Trump Claims Venezuela President Maduro In US Custody After Airstrikes Rock Caracas

Washington: Following American airstrikes on Venezuela's capital Caracas, US President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that Nicolas Maduro, the president of the Latin American country, has been captured by US forces. 
The development comes after a series of explosions rocked the capital of Venezuela as US airstrikes hit the city. 

What did Trump say? 

Following the airstrikes, Trump took to social media to announce that the US military has taken Maduro and his wife into custody. 

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country," Trump said in a statement on social media.

What has the Venezuela government said? 

Venezuela’s vice president has appeared on the state run television channel to announce that the country's government doesn’t know where the president and his wife are after U.S. forces captured them.
“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Delcy Rodriguez said. “We demand proof of life.”

What happened during the airstrikes? 

The United States military rocked Venezuela during the early hours of Saturday with a large-scale strike before announcing that Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. The military action by the US comes after several months of stepped-up pressure by Washington.
Saturday's strike was an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.
Multiple explosions rang out as low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, with Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government has called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

What are the reasons for hostility between USA and Venezuela? 

The US has been at loggerheadd with  Maduro for years, and has accused the communist government of Venezuela of running a narco-state and rigging an election. 

Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chavez as the president of Venezuela in 2013, has accused the US of wanting to take control of its oil reserves, the largest in the world.