Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said late Wednesday that 100 people died in the U.S. attack that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power earlier this week. This is the first official death toll provided by Caracas since the dramatic military operation.
Prior to this announcement, the Venezuelan government had not released any aggregate casualty figures, though the army separately posted the names of 23 military personnel killed. Cuban authorities also reported that 32 members of their military and intelligence services stationed in Venezuela were killed in the operation.
According to Cabello, Maduro sustained a leg injury during the U.S. raid, and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was detained with him, suffered a head injury.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, whom Cabello praised on state television as “courageous,” declared a week-long mourning period for members of the military killed in the assault. Venezuelan officials maintain that much of Maduro’s security contingent was killed “in cold blood.”
The controversial U.S. military operation — confirmed by U.S. sources to have involved elite forces and resulted in Maduro and Flores being taken into custody — has sparked international reactions and heightened diplomatic tensions.
