At least 56 Cuban and Venezuelan military personnel died during the military operation ‘Absolute Resolution’, launched by the United States against several points in Caracas and three states near the Venezuelan capital to capture the president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3rd.
Information about the victims has gradually come to light in recent days, and the full extent of Washington’s attack against the South American country is still unknown, which also caused civilian deaths, according to the Venezuelan government.
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After Venezuelan authorities failed to provide any figures since the day of the attack, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces announced that at least 24 of its soldiers died and bid them farewell this Tuesday at a funeral.
This branch of the Army highlighted that the victims “never yielded” in the face of an operation “disproportionately” inclined towards the United States in “volume of fire, in technology and in surgical precision”.
The Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, announced this Tuesday the appointment of three officials to investigate what he estimates are “dozens” of deaths.
The Identity of Cuban Victims
The Cuban government announced last Sunday that 32 of its military personnel also died in the US attack and decreed two days of national mourning that end this Tuesday, precisely the day it revealed the identities of the deceased.
Among the victims, the presence of two colonels, a lieutenant colonel, four majors, and three captains, all from the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), stands out, as well as nine reserve soldiers, the latter from the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Minfar). Members of the Intelligence services also lost their lives.
The youngest murdered military officer is a lieutenant from the Ministry of the Interior, aged 26, while the oldest is a colonel, aged 67.
According to the island government, the deceased Cubans “fell after a fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings”.
Many analysts had pointed out that Maduro’s first personal security circle was mainly made up of Cubans, something that Caracas and Havana had never confirmed.
The Unknown Regarding Civilian Deaths
As information about military casualties becomes clearer, the uncertainty persists regarding civilian deaths caused by US bombings.
Saab assured that there were “dozens of innocent civilian casualties” in addition to the military ones, echoing the statements that other high-ranking officials of Chavismo have made in recent days.
This Monday, a dozen people said goodbye to Rosa Elena González, 80 years old and a resident of the state of La Guaira, near Caracas, who died as a result of the attacks.
His apartment, which was completely destroyed, was located near the Bolivarian Navy Military Academy, one of the bombing targets.
Venezuelan sources cited by The New York Times revealed around 80 deaths in the operation, a figure that is still far from the 56 Cuban and Venezuelan military personnel confirmed by the authorities.
From the American side, Washington officials said that half a dozen soldiers were injured, although Donald Trump did not want to confirm the figures but boasted of not having registered any casualties.
