Dutch caretaker prime minister Dick Schoof on Saturday assured the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire that they could count on Dutch support following the US military attack on neighbouring Venezuela.

The islands are between 35 and 80 kilometres from the coast of Venezuela, where US armed forces carried out raids in the early hours of Saturday morning and took president Nicolas Maduro and his wife prisoner.

Schoof said on social media he had spoken with the leaders of Aruba and Curaçao and the governor of Bonaire to underline that “they and the people on the islands can count on our support in this uncertain time”.

Aruba and Curaçao are independent countries within the kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire has local authority status.

The US operates counter-narcotics aircraft from two bases on Curaçao and Aruba under agreements signed in 2000 and 2001.

In December, when asked about the US strikes on boats which the US claimed to be moving drugs, defence minister Ruben Brekelmans said these facilities had not been used in the attacks.

Brekelmans has not yet commented on the latest attacks on Venezuela.

Earlier, the foreign affairs ministry urged Dutch nationals in Venezuela to get in touch with family and friends and let them know they are all right. The country has been subject to a code red no-travel warning since July.

KLM has reportedly cancelled all flights to Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten following the US attacks on Venezuela. The Dutch flag carrier has also cancelled flights to Georgetown in Guyana and Bridgetown on Barbados.