Venezuelan Minister Says 100 Killed In U.S. Attack

Venezuela’s Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, said at least 100 people were killed during a U.S. military operation that led to the removal of President Nicolás Maduro from power over the weekend.

Speaking on state television late Wednesday, Cabello said this was the first official casualty figure released since the raid, adding that civilians were among the dead, though he did not specify how many.

Before now, the Venezuelan military had only published the names of 23 soldiers who died. Cuban authorities said 32 members of their military and intelligence services deployed in Venezuela were also killed.

Venezuelan officials further claimed that a significant portion of Maduro’s security detail was “killed in cold blood” during the operation.

Cabello said both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, sustained injuries during the raid. According to him, Maduro suffered an injury to his leg, while Flores sustained a head wound when the couple was detained.

Footage later released from New York, where Maduro was taken following his arrest, showed the former president limping as he was escorted off a helicopter by U.S. agents, while Flores appeared with visible facial bruises.

Her legal team has requested further medical examinations, suggesting she may also have suffered rib injuries.

No U.S. military fatalities have been reported, though officials confirmed that seven American personnel were injured during the operation.

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, whom Cabello praised as “courageous,” has declared a week of national mourning for members of the armed forces killed in the raid.

A state funeral was also held in the capital, Caracas, for fallen soldiers.