At least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s military announced Monday, bringing the official death count up to at least 56.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday that “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as “war crime.”
He didn’t specify if the estimate specifically referred to Venezuelans.
The toll adds to the 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela who also died, according to Cuba’s government, prompting two days of mourning on the Caribbean island.
More civilians in Venezuela were killed in the strikes, AP reporting shows, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many.
A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram features faces of many of those killed video layers over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircrafts flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts.
What to know:
Trump’s claims of running Venezuela leave questions despite congressional briefing: The Monday briefing by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials failed to fully quell lawmaker concerns that Trump is embarking on a new era of U.S. expansionism without the consultation of Congress or a clear vision for next steps in Venezuela. It came amid vague assertions by President Donald Trump that the U.S. is going to “run” the South American nation after Maduro’s ouster, seeming to contradict earlier statements from Rubio.Venezuela asserts its independence: The Venezuelan government is seeking to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and is not being controlled by the United States. Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered Monday in the capital to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031.Venezuela’s interim president wants ‘respectful relations’ with US: Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez, who called Maduro’s capture an “atrocity” in the hours after the operation, has now invited Trump to “collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation.” Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she didn’t fall in line with U.S. demands.