Death toll from US invasion of Venezuela hits 80 – Report

The death count from Saturday’s invasion of Venezuela by the United States has risen to 80, a report by New York Times says.

According to the report, a senior Venezuelan official said the casualties include civilians and members of security forces. He added that the number could rise further.

Explosions had rocked Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, early Saturday.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced on social media that his country had successfully capturedVenezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Speaking at a press conference following the attack, Trump said the US will take over the affairs of Venezuela until a political transition is achieved.

“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and end up with the same situation we’ve had for a long period of years,” he said, adding that any transition “has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about”.

Trump described the strike as “an incredible thing to see”, saying no American soldiers were killed and no military equipment was lost during the operation.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s defense minister, on Sunday, reportedly rejected any notion that the US would “run” his country.

The White House said it believed that Venezuela’s government, under the interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, would fall in line and largely comply with its demands after the capture of Maduro.

Trump repeatedly warned that the United States would take fresh actions against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela, saying strikes on land would begin soon.

In October, Trump said he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate inside Venezuela to curb illegal flow of migrants and drugs from the South American country.

The weekend strikes arrived on the heels of months of US military buildup in the region. (The Cable)