Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has declared seven days of national mourning in memory of military personnel who were killed during a U.S.-led operation in Caracas, Adyrna correspondent reports.
“I have decided to declare seven days of mourning in honor of the young citizens who lost their lives while defending President Nicolás Maduro. This is our tribute to them,” she said.
On January 3, the United States carried out a military operation in Caracas and took Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to New York. A court charged the Venezuelan politician with “narco-terrorism.” Maduro has denied the allegations.
According to Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López, members of U.S. special forces killed the president’s guards during the seizure of the presidential residence.
The Venezuelan government has not officially announced the total number of casualties resulting from the U.S. operation. Military sources report that 23 people were killed on the Venezuelan side. Cuban authorities stated that 32 members of Maduro’s security team were killed. On January 4, The New York Times, citing a senior Venezuelan official, reported that the death toll had reached at least 40 people.
