The U.S. government assesses that about 75 people were killed during Saturday’s military raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, including dozens of fatalities that resulted from a gun battle at his compound in Caracas, according to officials familiar with the matter.
One person said that at least 67 people were killed in the predawn assault, while another said that about 75 to 80 people were left dead. The officials, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, said the assessments account for Venezuelan and Cuban security forces as well as civilians caught in the fray. The figures roughly match an estimate that Venezuelan officials have shared in recent days.
The sizable death toll adds meaning to President Donald Trump’s public remarks that the operation he approved was “effective” but “very violent.”
About a half-dozen U.S. troops were injured in the operation, with some suffering gunshot wounds in the firefight at Maduro’s compound. Some were transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, where they underwent surgery, two other officials said.
The Pentagon in a Tuesday statement said two U.S. service members were still recovering from injuries suffered during the operation. Five others who were hurt have returned to duty.
“The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors,” the Pentagon said.
The raid was led by elite members of the Army’s Delta Force, who were teamed with Special Operations soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which flies some of the military’s most dangerous missions. Helicopters launched from numerous warships off the coast off Venezuela and swooped in, flying low over the water to limit detection.
The details — disclosed to congressional officials this week as lawmakers demanded clarity on the Trump administration’s aims after forcibly removing Maduro and bringing him to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism charges — indicate that while the operation was “an astonishing feat,” it was somewhat miraculous there were zero U.S. fatalities, one of the officials said.
The details were disclosed after top administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, held a classified briefing Monday night for senior lawmakers. A larger briefing for other lawmakers is expected Wednesday morning.
People familiar with Monday’s briefing said Rubio, who also functions as Trump’s national security adviser, did the majority of the talking and told congressional officials that he is confident he can work with Delcy Rodríguez, who had served as vice president under Maduro and is Venezuela’s acting president.
Administration officials also voiced confidence during Monday’s briefing that they have leverage over Rodríguez in part because they assess that unless she cooperates, Venezuela will run out of money within weeks and be unable to pay security forces and other government officials. Rubio did little to address whether an election is envisioned, people familiar with the matter said, and Trump suggested in an interview with NBC News on Monday that none will be held until the country is “fixed.”
Caine, the Pentagon’s top general, said during a news conference Saturday that the mission, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was “meticulously planned” and involved more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 different locations. Those making up the “apprehension force descended into Maduro’s compound,” Caine said, with other U.S. troops cordoning off the area to protect those capturing Maduro.
Helicopters involved in the mission came under groundfire as they swooped in, Caine said, and responded with “overwhelming force in self-defense.” One helicopter was hit but remained flyable.
Hannah Natanson, Tara Copp and Alex Horton contributed to this report.
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