At least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel, have reportedly been killed during a US operation in Venezuela, with residents describing devastation and loss
Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, January, 3(Image: AP)
Not only military personnel, but also civilians have been reported to lose their lives during the US operation in Venezuela. Residents have reportedly described devastation and loss in the aftermath of the attack.
According to a new bombshell article published by The New York Times, at least 40 people, including civilians, were killed during US President Donald Trump’s operation in Venezuela yesterday (January 3).
The alarming consequences of the US operation has been exposed in a preliminary report from a senior Venezuelan official who reportedly spoke on condition of anonymity. In the meantime, Trump, speaking on Fox News on Saturday, confirmed that no American troops had lost their lives, though he did acknowledge that some service members had sustained injuries.
At least seven explosions were reported at around 02:00 VET (01:00 EST), and low-flying aircraft were seen, predominantly in La Guaira, Higuerote, Meseta de Mamo, Baruta, El Hatillo, Charallave, and Carmen de Uria, which are mostly inside or near the capital city Caracas(Image: AP)
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (a group of the highest-ranking military officers in the United States Department of Defense), told reporters at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago alongside Trump that US helicopters involved in the extraction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had come under fire. He stated that one helicopter had been hit but “remained flyable,” and that all US aircraft “came home”.
In the immediate aftermath of the US attack, reports began to emerge of civilian casualties in Catia La Mar, a deprived coastal district just west of Caracas airport, The New York Times reported. There, an airstrike reportedly struck a three-storey residential building, blowing out an exterior wall as US forces advanced into the city.
Moreover, the strike reportedly claimed the life of Rosa González, aged 80, according to her family, and left another person seriously injured. By Saturday afternoon, a government investigator was on the scene, interviewing witnesses and collecting fragments of munitions, as per The New York Times.
The United States launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and captured sitting president Nicolás Maduro(Image: AP)
Wilman González, Ms González’s nephew, reportedly said he ducked when he heard the explosion at around 2am, narrowly avoiding serious injury to his eye. He required three stitches to the side of his face.
Appearing numb hours later, Mr González reportedly showed journalists where the US ordnance had struck. Asked where he would go now that he had lost his home, he replied simply, “I don’t know”.
According to the New York Times, he spoke little as he sifted through the debris, searching for any belongings he could salvage. He retrieved an old umbrella and carried away a set of drawers.
Members of the presidential guard stand outside the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas(Image: AP)
The blast left the inside of the apartment exposed to the street; among the ruins was a portrait of Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar, apparently riddled with shrapnel.
A neighbour, a 70-year-old man named Jorge who declined to give his surname, said he had lost everything in the airstrike.
Several people reportedly gathered outside the building on Saturday afternoon, while others picked through the remains of their homes. Most were silent, some prayed, while others expressed anger.
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