At least 80 people have been killed following Saturday’s United States military operation in Venezuela, according to a report by The New York Times.
The newspaper quoted a senior Venezuelan official as saying the fatalities include both civilians and members of the country’s security forces, warning that the figure could still rise.
Residents of Caracas, the capital, were jolted awake early Saturday by a series of explosions that marked the start of the assault.
Several hours later, US President Donald Trump announced via social media that American forces had captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife.
Addressing journalists after the operation, Trump said Washington would assume control of Venezuela’s affairs until a political transition is put in place.
“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and end up with the same situation we’ve had for a long period of years,” he said, stressing that any handover of power “has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about.”
Trump described the military action as “an incredible thing to see,” adding that no US troops were killed and no American military hardware was lost during the operation.
Venezuela’s defence minister, however, reportedly dismissed suggestions on Sunday that the United States would be allowed to “run” the country.
Despite this, the White House said it expects Venezuela’s government, now headed by interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, to eventually align with and largely comply with US demands following Maduro’s capture.
Trump has continued to warn of further action against what he described as drug trafficking networks operating in Venezuela, indicating that land-based strikes could begin soon.
Back in October, he disclosed that he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate inside Venezuela as part of efforts to stem the illegal flow of migrants and narcotics from the country.
The weekend assault followed months of increased US military presence and preparations across the region.
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