Venezuela to observe seven-day mourning after US raid kills officers

On January 6, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez announced a seven-day period of national mourning for military personnel killed during a US raid over the weekend aimed at capturing leader Nicolás Maduro. 

The South American government said around two dozen Venezuelan officers died in the operation. Cuba said that 32 of its military and police personnel stationed in Venezuela were also killed, and declared two days of mourning, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

US forces conducted a major military operation early on January 3 that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. Maduro was transported to the United States and has since appeared in federal court in New York, where he faces criminal charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. 

The raid, described by US officials as a targeted strike, involved coordinated aerial and special forces actions in the Venezuelan capital.

The operation has unleashed intense international controversy. The United Nations’ human rights office said the intervention “undermined a fundamental principle of international law” and could destabilise the region, while several governments, including those of Russia, China and various Latin American states, condemned the action as a breach of Venezuelan sovereignty.

 By Aghakazim Guliyev