The Venezuelan government officially announced that 100 people, including civilians, were killed in a U.S. military operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
This marks the first time the Venezuelan government has disclosed the scale of casualties caused by a U.S. military operation.
According to Reuters and other outlets on the 7th, Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Interior Minister, stated via state-run TV that 100 people had died so far due to the U.S. military operation. He confirmed that civilians were among the victims but did not disclose the exact number of civilian fatalities.
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This is the first time the Venezuelan government has provided a death toll since the U.S. attempt to oust the Maduro regime. Earlier, Venezuelan military authorities had published the names of 23 deceased soldiers, while the Cuban government reported that 32 military and intelligence personnel were killed in Venezuela. Additionally, a source from the Venezuelan government disclosed that a significant number of Maduro’s security detail were also killed.
Cabello mentioned that Maduro and his wife were injured during the arrest operation. He explained that Maduro sustained a leg injury during the U.S. military raid, while First Lady Cilia Flores suffered a head wound.
Footage captured when the Maduro couple appeared at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York showed Maduro limping with his hands bound by cable ties, and Flores with a bruised eye. Flores’ lawyer requested additional medical examinations, suggesting she might have suffered rib fractures. However, a U.S. official stated that the couple was already injured before contact with Delta Force personnel, likely due to a collision with an object during or prior to the use of flashbang grenades.
No U.S. military fatalities were reported, though seven personnel were injured.
Venezuela held a funeral in the capital, Caracas, for soldiers killed during Maduro’s arrest operation. The ceremony took place just one day after interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared a seven-day mourning period for the fallen soldiers.
