At least 24 Venezuelan security agents killed in Maduro capture operation – National

At least 24 Venezuelan security agents were killed during the US military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro and take him to the United States to face federal drug charges, officials said Tuesday.

Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said “dozens” of officials and civilians had been killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He did not say whether the estimate referred specifically to Venezuelans.

The death toll among Venezuelan security officials comes after the Cuban government announced Sunday that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela had died during the operation, causing two days of mourning on the Caribbean island.

A video tribute to slain Venezuelan security officials, posted on the military’s Instagram account, features the faces of many of those killed in black-and-white videos showing soldiers, U.S. planes flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by explosions.

“Their bloodshed calls not for revenge, but for justice and strength,” the army wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering vow not to rest until we have saved our rightful president, completely dismantled terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensured that events such as these never again defile our sovereign soil.”

Separately, President Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation, noting that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the Venezuelan leader on drug trafficking charges.

Trump, in his remarks before a Republican retreat to the House of Representatives in Washington, complained that Democrats were not giving him credit for the successful military operation that led to Maduro’s ouster, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not Venezuela’s legitimate president.

In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused of narcoterrorism conspiracy and decades-long international cocaine trafficking.

White House officials noted that Biden’s administration, in its final days in office last year, increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term despite evidence suggesting he lost Venezuela’s last election. The Trump administration doubled that amount to $50 million in August.

“You know, at some point they should say, ‘You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t that be nice? » Trump said. “I would say if they did a good job, their philosophies are very different. But if they did a good job, I would be happy for the country. They’ve been looking for this guy for years and years and years.”

Trump’s latest comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials briefed congressional leaders Monday evening on the Venezuela operation, amid growing concerns that the Republican administration is embarking on a new era of U.S. expansionism without consulting lawmakers or a clear vision for running the South American country.

After the briefing, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he did not expect the United States to deploy troops to Venezuela, saying U.S. actions there were “not a regime change operation.” Democratic leaders said the session lacked clarity on the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela.

Americans are divided on Maduro’s capture — and many are still forming their opinions — according to a poll conducted by the Washington Post and SSRS using text messages this weekend. About four in ten approved of sending the U.S. military to capture Maduro, while roughly the same proportion opposed it. About 2 in 10 people were unsure.

Nearly half of Americans, or 45 percent, were opposed to the United States taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans believe the Venezuelan people should decide the future direction of their country.

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Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court on Monday. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards. Maduro’s number two, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.

In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and senior administration officials have raised global fears that the operation could mark the start of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.

The president has renewed his calls in recent days for a US takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action against Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while its top diplomat said the communist government in Cuba was “in deep trouble.”

Trump said his administration would now “direct” Venezuelan policy and pressure the country’s leaders to open up their vast oil reserves to U.S. energy companies.

Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio announced Tuesday that she will meet with the charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to present a formal complaint regarding recent threats made by the United States.

On Sunday, Trump said he was not ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who has openly criticized the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it in the United States.”

At a news conference, Villavicencio said she hoped to strengthen relations with the United States and improve cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, echoing comments made Monday by several members of the Colombian government.

“It is necessary for the Trump administration to know in more detail everything we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday to defend Greenland’s sovereignty. The island is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore part of the NATO military alliance.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

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