Venezuelan general urges military to disown Maduro

An active Venezuelan general called on the armed forces to rebel against President Nicolas Maduro and to recognize the opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim chief as pressure at home and abroad grows on the head of state to step down.

In a video circulating on Twitter on Saturday, General Francisco Yanez of the air force’s high command, said most of the armed forces already disavowed Maduro, who claims he is victim of a coup directed by the United States.

“People of Venezuela, 90 percent of the armed forces of Venezuela are not with the dictator, they are with the people of Venezuela,” Yanez said in the video.

“Given the happenings of the last few hours, already the transition to democracy is imminent.”

The high command’s web page lists Yanez, along with a photo, as the air force’s head of strategic planning.

On its Twitter account, the air force’s high command accused the general of treason. Yanez is the first active Venezuelan general to recognize Guaido since he proclaimed himself president on 23 January. TRIPOLI: Libyan security forces have arrested a senior Islamic State leader in the city of Sirte, said an official on conditions of anonymity. Khalifa Barq was taken from his home by a special security force, the official of Sirte security department said on Friday. The ISIS continues to remain a threat to national security, the government has said.