At least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed during the U.S. military operation to capture former leader Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan military has said.
This raises the official total death toll from the Jan. 3 raid to at least 56, including Cuban allies acting as security officials for the South American nation’s ruling regime.
“Their spilled blood does not cry out for vengeance, but for justice and strength,” Venezuela’s military said in an Instagram post on Monday. “It reaffirms our unwavering oath not to rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle the terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that events such as these never again sully our sovereign soil.”
The operation, conducted in the early hours, involved U.S. special forces descending upon Maduro’s residence in Caracas. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and taken to New York, where both face narco-terrorism charges.
Cuba, a Venezuela ally, said 32 of its military and police officers were killed in the military action.
Cuban officials released the identities of the deceased, declaring two days of national mourning.
“I share the pain and indignation of our people, and especially of the loved ones of our brave comrades,” Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said in a Jan. 5 post on X.
Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez on Tuesday announced seven days of mourning for the country’s military deaths.
Venezuela Attorney General Tarek William Saab also said on Tuesday that “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as “war crimes.” He didn’t specify whether the estimate specifically referred to Venezuelans.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, in an earlier televised address, said that U.S. forces are guilty of “cold-bloodedly murdering a large part” of Maduro’s security team, describing it as one aspect of an undeclared war.
According to the Pentagon, seven U.S. servicemembers were injured in the Caracas raid.
A Pentagon statement on Tuesday said that of those injured, five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters that some troops were injured but didn’t offer specifics beyond that they were “all in good shape.”
U.S. officials have defended the action as targeting a narco-terrorist regime guilty of killing Americans.
Since the raid, Trump has outlined long-term objectives for Venezuela but has emphasized that his current focus remains on immediate challenges, saying that establishing fair elections and restoring democracy will take time amid significant work ahead.
“We’ll have elections at the right time,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “Venezuela right now is a dead country. We have to bring it back.”
In recent years, Venezuela has experienced economic collapse, accompanied by hyperinflation, widespread poverty, and a significant exodus of citizens.
Emel Akan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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