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News Topical, Digital Desk : US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US had launched a massive strike against Venezuela, saying the action was carried out in coordination with US law enforcement.
US officials accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of sending drugs and gang members to Venezuela and were constantly pressuring him to step down. With this operation, the US has now accomplished its objective.
This action reminds of the attack on Panama
The attack is Washington's first direct military action in Latin America since 1989, when US forces entered Panama to oust military ruler Manuel Noriega, a campaign that became infamous not only for its overwhelming firepower but also for its soundtrack.
The mission in Panama was named Operation Just Cause.
At the time, former US President George H.W. Bush ordered troops into Panama to protect the lives of American citizens and bring Noriega to justice. This mission, formally named Operation Just Cause, deployed more than 20,000 US troops to occupy strategic locations across the country.
The attack followed the killing of a US soldier by Panamanian forces and occurred while Noriega was on trial in the US on drug trafficking charges and allegations of rigging the 1989 election.
According to government figures, 514 Panamanian soldiers and civilians were killed. However, local organizations claimed the number was closer to 1,000. Twenty-three American soldiers were also killed.
Rock music was played to drive out Noriega.
As US forces approached, Noriega took refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission. What followed was one of the strangest tales of modern warfare. Soldiers stationed outside the building played loud rock music to drive him out. It was a form of psychological pressure that captured worldwide attention.
It included tracks such as KC & The Sunshine Band's Give It Up, Alice Cooper's No More Mr. Nice Guy, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, Guns N' Roses' Welcome to the Jungle, Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive and The Doors' The End.
Noriega surrendered 11 days later.
After spending 11 days inside the embassy, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990. He was taken by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials to Miami, where he was tried and convicted of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering.
Noriega spent the rest of his life in custody, first in the United States, then in France, and later under house arrest in Panama. He died in 2017 at the age of 83 from complications following brain tumor surgery.
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