The Attorney General’s Office of Venezuela announced this Tuesday the opening of an investigation into the “dozens” of deaths recorded during the United States military attack against Caracas and other areas of the country, an operation that concluded with the capture of the president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, reported the appointment of three prosecutors from the Public Ministry to clarify the civilian and military casualties that occurred during the bombings. Saab described the events as a “war crime” and an “unusual aggression against the Venezuelan homeland”, during an official act before the Prosecutor’s Office, the Comptroller’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, on the occasion of the beginning of a new five-year term of Parliament.
So far, Venezuelan authorities have not provided official figures for deaths or injuries as a result of the attacks.
On Sunday, the Government of Cuba reported that 32 Cuban soldiers who were carrying out a mission in Venezuela died in “combative actions” during the US operation. President Miguel Díaz-Canel indicated on social networks that the troops were in Caracas at the request of “homologous bodies” of the South American country, without offering more details.
For its part, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (Minint) indicated that among the deceased were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), personnel from its own organization—where the military also works—and agents from the Intelligence services.
Before the Havana announcement, US President Donald Trump had stated that “many on the other side” died during the operation to capture Maduro, including “many Cubans” who were part of his protection scheme, although without offering specific figures.
Venezuelan sources cited by The New York Times They claimed that 80 people died during the operation in Venezuela, while Washington officials said that half a dozen US soldiers were injured. Trump, however, avoided confirming those numbers.
This Monday, family and neighbors said goodbye to Rosa Elena González, an 80-year-old woman living in the state of La Guaira, who died as a result of the attacks. González lived in the Rómulo Gallegos urbanization, in the Catia La Mar sector, an area near the Mamo Plateau, where the Military Academy of the Bolivarian Navy is located, one of the targets of Saturday’s bombings.
According to testimonies collected by EFE, the octogenarian was injured inside her home after an explosion. Although she was taken to a nearby hospital, she later died. His apartment was completely destroyed after the building was hit by the attacks.
EFE/OnCuba
