Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) have shot down an “enemy aircraft” in a city in the state of Apure, which borders Colombia, Domingo Hernandez Lares, commander of strategic operations at the military establishment, said on Monday.

“In the municipality of Pedro Camejo de Apure, a hostile aircraft with a disabled transponder (position transmitter), without visible identification or flight plan, was detected by radar, which was declared a target of interest and disabled for violating national sovereignty,” said the chief. , military via Twitter.

On the same social media platform where he shared photos of the burning plane, he stressed that the FASF had destroyed 13 “invader planes” this year, the penultimate one last Monday at the same location. .

“Under the Comprehensive Airspace Protection Control Law, as an exercise of sovereignty and in response to security and defense interests, the FANS disables enemy aircraft for violating air traffic regulations,” he added.

#Venezuela | An “enemy” plane was shot down in Venezuela.

FANB neutralized the aircraft in Falcon State.

Domingo Hernandez Lares, head of the FANS Strategic Operational Command, announced this through his Twitter account. pic.twitter.com/vt7KZD9Y3B

— Notitarde (@webnotitarde) February 15, 2023

Hernandez Lares did not provide details, as is often the case, about the origin of the aircraft, its use, and the pilot or crew, if any.

According to military reports, these downed planes were used for drug trafficking, a scourge that the FANS is fighting in various ways, especially in border areas, which resulted in the destruction of 42 planes in 2022.