ISLAMABAD: Venezuelan authorities say the death toll from the US operation has reached at least 100, marking the first official figure released since the raid.
“So far — and I mean so far — there are 100 dead and a similar number of wounded,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television, stressing that the number could rise as assessments continue.
“The attack on our country was terrible,” he added, describing widespread destruction and heavy losses among security forces and civilians.
The government has accused US forces of using overwhelming force during the operation, with officials saying many members of President Nicolas Maduro’s security detail were killed “in cold blood” as fighting spread across parts of Caracas.
Separately, according to The Washington Post, which cited officials familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity, estimates place the death toll between 67 and 80 people. The casualties reportedly include members of Venezuelan and Cuban security forces, as well as civilians caught in the fighting.
Earlier reporting by The New York Times cited a senior Venezuelan official as saying the death toll had reached 80, warning that the number could rise further as information continues to surface in the days following the operation.
The raid took place during a nighttime operation on January 3, when US special forces entered the Venezuelan capital and seized Maduro, amid airstrikes targeting military installations. He along with his wife was subsequently transferred to the United States.
Two days later, on January 5, Maduro appeared before a federal court in New York wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, where he pleaded not guilty to charges including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption stemming from long-standing US indictments.
The operation, authorised by President Donald Trump, marks an unprecedented escalation in US action against Venezuela’s leadership, prompting growing international concern over civilian casualties, sovereignty and regional stability.
