US operation in Venezuela kills Maduro guards and Cuban intelligence — Reuters
Nicolás Maduro (photo: Getty Images)
During a US operation in Venezuela, 100 people were killed. The security guards who captured Nicolás Maduro, as well as Cuban military personnel and intelligence officers, were killed, Reuters reports.
The agency noted that Caracas had previously not named the exact number of those killed, but the army published a list of 23 names of its dead.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said that 100 people were killed during the US operation.
Venezuelan officials stated that most of Maduro's security detail was killed "in cold blood," while Cuba reported the deaths of its military personnel and intelligence officers in Venezuela.
During the US operation, Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, who was detained together with him, sustained a head injury, while Maduro suffered a leg injury.
US operation in Venezuela
On January 3, the United States carried out a large-scale special operation in Venezuela, during which the country's leader, Nicolás Maduro, was detained. US military personnel transported him to the United States together with his wife, Cilia Flores.
According to The Washington Post, at least 75 people were killed during Maduro's capture as a result of air strikes and gun battles in Caracas. None of them was an American.
US President Donald Trump publicly boasted about the operation, calling the US military "the most powerful and advanced in the world."
He also stated that Maduro would face trial on charges of narco-terrorism.
In addition to establishing drug trafficking schemes, Maduro is accused of illegal possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, as well as conspiracy to use such weapons against the United States.
On January 5, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in a New York court. The hearing lasted about 30 minutes, and the next one will take place on March 17.
Trump previously stated that the United States would "run" Venezuela. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that this refers to coordinating policies for the transitional period. The priority remains access to energy resources to stabilize the global market and rebuild the country.
Rubio said that the United States has a three-stage process in Venezuela, the first of which involves oil production.
Trump also claims that Venezuela's interim authorities will transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned high-quality oil to the United States.
