7 US Troops Injured in Maduro Raid, 2 Still Recovering: Pentagon

Seven U.S. military members sustained injuries on Jan. 3 as they helped execute the heavily armed raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from a fortified compound in Caracas.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Jan. 7, a Pentagon official said five of the seven injured troops have since recovered and returned to duty.

“Two U.S. service members are still recovering from injuries sustained during Operation Absolute Resolve. They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery,” the Pentagon official said.

The Pentagon official did not specify what kinds of injuries the seven service members sustained or to what units they are assigned.

At a press conference in the hours after the raid, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine noted that one of the more than 150 military aircraft involved in the operation was struck by fire but remained operational.

“The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors,” the Pentagon official said in the emailed statement.

While U.S. forces sustained seven known injuries, dozens of members of Maduro’s security detail were killed during the U.S. assault.

Venezuela’s military has said that at least 24 of its forces were killed.

Members of Cuba’s armed forces were also attached to Maduro’s security detail at the time of the raid.

Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said 32 Cuban troops were killed during the assault, and he declared two days of mourning for their loss.

Approximately five hours had passed between when President Donald Trump ordered the assault at 10:46 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 2 and when U.S. forces left Venezuelan airspace in helicopters at 3:29 a.m. on Jan. 3, with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, in custody.

Caine said the helicopter-borne U.S. assault team landed at Maduro’s fortified complex at approximately 1:01 a.m. and raced through the facility.

Trump said the U.S. team managed to catch Maduro and his wife before they could reach a steel-clad safe room within the compound.

Trump has said the United States will manage Venezuela for an interim period following Maduro’s capture.

After the Trump administration briefed members of Congress about the situation in Venezuela on Jan. 5, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he doesn’t expect an additional U.S. troop deployment in the South American country.

“We don’t expect troops on the ground,” Johnson said. “We don’t expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new, the interim government, to get that going.”

Trump has thus far given Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, some breathing room to act as the interim head of state through a transitional phase, but he has warned that she could “pay a very big price” if her cooperation wanes.