At least 24 Venezuelan security officials have been killed in Maduro’s kidnapping operation – nationwide
At least 24 Venezuelan security officials were killed during a US military operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro and take him to the United States to face drug charges, officials said Tuesday.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said “dozens” of officials and civilians had been killed and said prosecutors would investigate his death in what he described as a “war crime.” He did not specify that this estimate refers to the people of Venezuela.
The death toll of security officials in Venezuela comes after the Cuban government on Sunday announced the death of 32 Cuban soldiers and police serving in Venezuela in the operation, prompting two days of mourning on the Caribbean island.
A video honoring the slain Venezuelan security officials posted on the military’s Instagram shows the faces of many of those killed in black-and-white videos of soldiers, American planes flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the explosion.
“Their spilled blood does not cry for revenge, but for justice and strength,” the soldiers wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our firm vow that we will not rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle terrorist groups operating abroad, and ensure that incidents like this never again mar our soil.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Democratic criticism of the military’s actions this weekend, noting that his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, had also called for the arrest of Venezuela’s leader on drug-trafficking charges.
Trump in his remarks before the House Republican retreat in Washington complained that the Democrats did not give him credit for the successful military operation that led to Maduro’s ouster, although there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the right president of Venezuela.
In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused of a decades-long terror plot and a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy.
White House officials noted that the Biden administration in his last days in office last year increased the reward for information that led to Maduro’s arrest after he took a third term in office despite evidence that he had lost the recent Venezuelan election. The Trump administration doubled the award to $50 million in August.
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“You know, at some point, they have to say, ‘You know, you did a good job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t that be great?” Trump said. “I can say that if they do a good job, their philosophy is very different. But if they do a good job, I can enjoy the country. They have been following this guy for many years.
Trump’s latest comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials briefed leaders in Congress late Monday on Venezuela’s operations amid growing concern that the Republican administration is ushering in a new era of US expansion without consulting lawmakers or a clear vision for governing the South American country.
After the meeting, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told reporters that he does not expect the United States to send troops to Venezuela, saying that what the US is doing there “is not coup d’état”. Democratic leaders said the session could not be specific about the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters as Republicans grapple with a plan to address rising health care costs, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Americans are divided over Maduro’s capture – many are still forming opinions – according to a poll conducted by the Washington Post and SSRS over the weekend. About 4 in 10 approved US troops being sent to arrest Maduro, while about the same share opposed. About 2 in 10 were unsure.
Almost half of Americans, 45 percent, were against the US taking control of Venezuela and electing a new government for the country. Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans say Venezuelans should be the ones to decide their country’s future leadership.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges in a US court on Monday. American soldiers arrested Maduro and his wife early Saturday morning when they raided the compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards. Maduro’s number 2, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president.
In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and senior administration officials have raised concerns around the world that this could mark the start of a more expansive US foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
In recent days, the president renewed his calls for the US to annex Denmark’s Greenland because of US security and threatened military action in Colombia for facilitating the global cocaine trade, while his top diplomat declared that the communist government in Cuba is “in deep trouble.”
Trump said his administration will now implement the Venezuela policy and will pressure the country’s leaders to open oil reserves to American companies.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Rosa Villavicencio, said on Tuesday that he will meet with the American Embassy in Bogota to present him with an official complaint regarding the latest threats issued by the United States.
On Sunday, Trump said he is not ending the attack on Colombia and described its president, who has been critical of the US pressure campaign in Venezuela, as “a sick person who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States.”
In a press conference, Villavicencio said he hopes 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 important that the Trump administration knows more about everything we are doing to fight drug trafficking,” he said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland’s sovereignty. The island is a sovereign territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of the NATO military alliance.
“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, to decide on matters affecting Denmark and Greenland.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press
