Seven US service members were injured during the covert raid to apprehend Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, a defense official told Business Insider on Tuesday, sharing the latest update on their condition.
Five of the wounded troops have already returned to duty, while two others are still recovering from their injuries, the official said.
“They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery,” they said.
President Donald Trump initially revealed Saturday morning, several hours after the operation had wrapped up, that “a couple of guys were hit” as US forces stormed Maduro’s compound to apprehend Venezuela’s now-former president and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Trump later shared that all the injured service members were in “good shape.” He added that no US troops were killed, and no equipment was lost in this operation. A helicopter took a hit but remained operational.
“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 defense official said.
It’s unclear what kind of injuries the troops sustained during the mission or how they were hurt. Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on Monday that nearly 200 US personnel entered “downtown Caracas” as part of the operation.
The surprise US operation, called Absolute Resolve, followed months of extensive planning and rehearsal, including building a replica of Maduro’s compound. On Saturday, Trump described the facility as a “highly guarded” building, “like a fortress.”
Low-flying helicopters brough in apprehension teams, which included law enforcement officers and special operations forces, while dozens of other aircraft — from fighter jets and bombers to drones — cleared a path for them by striking Venezuela’s air defenses.
Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Saturday that “those in the air over Caracas last night were willing to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters.”
American forces stormed the compound under heavy fire. At some point during the operation, which began late Friday night and continued for several hours into Saturday morning, the troops were wounded. The US said everyone made it out though.
Dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel were killed during the US raid, according to the two militaries.
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