Venezuelan soldiers killed in US operation laid to rest
The Venezuelan military held a funeral in the capital for some of the dozens of soldiers killed during the US operation that captured then-president Nicolás Maduro.
The music of the military orchestra echoed through the cemetery as family members and soldiers walked behind a row of coffins. Men carried wooden coffins draped in the Venezuelan flag past uniformed officers.
“Thank you for allowing them to have military careers,” military commander Rafael Murillo told the families surrounding him at the cemetery on the city’s south side.
As the coffins were lowered into the ground, the men were honored with gun salutes and their loved ones wailed. Armed National Guard patrolled parts of the cemetery for hours before and during the ceremony, which followed an emotional wake.
The funeral took place a day after Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of mourning for the fallen officers.
The Venezuelan military said at least 24 Venezuelan officers were killed in a midnight U.S. military operation on Saturday to capture Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores and take them to New York to face drug charges.
Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges in a US court on Monday.
At least 100 people died and as many were injured during the US operation, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television on Wednesday. It did not give the distribution of civilians, members of the armed forces and nationalities.
Cuba said 32 Cuban soldiers and police officers working in Venezuela were killed in the US operation.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab said prosecutors would investigate the deaths, which he called war crimes.
“It cries out for the bloodshed, not for revenge, but for justice and power,” the Venezuelan military wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
“It reaffirms our unwavering oath that we will not rest until we save our legitimate President, completely eliminate terrorist groups operating abroad, and ensure that such incidents never pollute our sovereign territory again.”
