Most of President Maduro’s security detail killed… “Death toll estimated at 80”
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Summary
- During the U.S. operation to arrest President Maduro, it was said that many members of his security detail, along with soldiers and civilians, were killed.
- A senior Venezuelan official said the tally of 80 deaths from the U.S. attack could rise further.
- The Venezuelan government said the U.S. military intervention amounts to a violation of sovereignty and is strongly protesting.
Most of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s security detail was reportedly killed by U.S. forces during the operation to arrest him.
According to The New York Times (NYT) and other outlets on the 4th (local time), Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said in a morning televised address, “As a result of this operation, most of Maduro’s security team, along with soldiers and innocent civilians, were killed yesterday.”
Padrino added, “Our armed forces categorically reject the cowardly act by the United States of kidnapping President Maduro and his wife,” condemning it as “an act that coldly killed a significant number of security personnel, soldiers, and innocent civilians.”
He did not disclose an exact casualty figure. However, the NYT, citing a senior Venezuelan official, reported that the number killed in the U.S. attack the previous day was tallied at 80, including members of Maduro’s security detail and civilians. The official said the toll could rise.
Padrino voiced support for Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assuming the role of acting president. He also claimed the country’s military had been mobilized nationwide to guarantee sovereignty.
Earlier, members of the U.S. military’s Delta Force—tasked with the mission to arrest Maduro—raided the president’s safe house, took him into custody, and later transported him and his wife to the United States. The Delta Force operators reportedly identified Maduro’s location about three minutes after arriving at the hideout and arrested him roughly five minutes after entering the building.
From the night of the 2nd through the early hours of the 3rd, U.S. forces struck targets including Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, as well as the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. The target areas reportedly included an apartment building in Catia La Mar, a low-income residential area on the western coast near Caracas airport, and some residents were said to have been killed. No U.S. military fatalities were reported in connection with the operation.
The United States has indicted President Maduro on narco-terrorism charges and is proceeding with judicial steps. Over the operation, the Venezuelan government is pushing back strongly, arguing that U.S. military intervention constitutes a violation of sovereignty.
Jin Young-gi, Hankyung.com reporter young71@hankyung.com
