US operation in Venezuela left people dead: NYT reveals the toll
Illustrative photo: Venezuela (GettyImages)
A large-scale US military operation in Venezuela has resulted in human casualties. At least 40 people have been killed, including military personnel and civilians, reports The New York Times.
What the US says
US President Donald Trump said on Fox News that no American soldiers were killed during the operation, but admitted that there were casualties.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, clarified that one of the helicopters involved in the evacuation of the detained Nicolas Maduro came under fire. The aircraft was damaged but was able to return to base.
Strike on a residential area
According to the NYT, details are emerging about civilian casualties. In the coastal area of Catia La Mar, near Caracas airport, a three-story residential building was hit during the US airstrikes.
The strike killed 80-year-old Rosa Gonzalez. Neighbors tried to take her to the hospital, but doctors pronounced her dead. Her nephew, Wilman Gonzalez, suffered injuries to his face and side. Another woman is in critical condition in the hospital.
Destruction and local reaction
The building was severely damaged, leaving residents homeless. Investigators are working at the site, removing ammunition fragments. Residents express outrage and despair. One of the residents of the area said that, in his opinion, the US operation is linked to the desire to control the country's oil resources, while the lives of civilians are not taken into account.
Currently, the search for surviving property continues in the affected areas, and people who have lost their homes do not know where to seek shelter.
US military operation in Venezuela
On January 3, the United States conducted a large-scale military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The operation involved the US Air Force, Navy, unmanned aerial vehicles, and CIA agents.
The key objective of the operation was to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Along with him, US forces took his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody. Both were taken to the US, where they are currently under arrest.
US President Donald Trump published the first photo of Maduro after his arrest, taken on board the American amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima.
On the same day, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York brought a number of serious charges against Maduro, including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, organizing the supply of cocaine to the United States, illegal possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and conspiracy to use them against the United States.
After the arrest of Maduro and his wife, further developments in Venezuela could unfold in several scenarios - from a constitutional transfer of power to a military coup or the complete collapse of the current regime.
The Venezuelan constitution provides for the transfer of presidential powers to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. She has already stated that the government has no information about the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife.
