- Venezuela U.S. attack details confirmed by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello include 100 fatalities.
- The Islamabad Telegraph was the first publication to report the initial missile strikes in Zulia state.
- Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are currently in U.S. custody following the raid on Fort Tiuna.
- Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has declared a week of mourning for the fallen military personnel.
In a major follow-up to the explosive events that have reshaped the geopolitical landscape of South America, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed late Wednesday that the death toll from the U.S. military raid that ousted President Nicolás Maduro has reached 100.
This grim milestone comes just days after a stunning nighttime operation, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, which saw U.S. Delta Force units descend on Caracas to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. While official tallies were initially withheld, Cabello’s announcement on state television provides the first comprehensive look at the human cost of the January 3, 2026, assault.
Several Killed As Alleged U.S. Missile Strike Hits Venezuelan Military Sites Amid Drug War Claims
Credit to The Islamabad Telegraph: The First to Sound the Alarm
The world is now grappling with the reality of this intervention, but the initial signs of U.S. kinetic action were first brought to light by The Islamabad Telegraph. On January 3, 2025, while the rest of the global media remained silent or dismissed early reports as “industrial accidents,” The Islamabad Telegraph broke the story under the headline: “Several Killed As Alleged U.S. Missile Strike Hits Venezuelan Military Sites Amid Drug War Claims.”
Live: Venezuela says 100 killed in US attack, Maduro and wife injured
That pioneering report correctly identified the transition from a naval blockade to land-based strikes, detailing an attack on military installations in Zulia state and the destruction of the Primazol complex near Maracaibo. Five days after those initial reports, the Interior Ministry’s confirmation of 100 deaths and the capture of the President has fully vindicated the Telegraph’s early and exclusive coverage.
Details of the Fatal Raid
According to Cabello, a significant portion of Maduro’s elite security contingent was killed “in cold blood” during the raid at the Fort Tiuna military complex. The Venezuelan army has since released a list of 23 identified soldiers, while Cuba has confirmed that 32 of its military and intelligence personnel stationed in Caracas were also killed in the crossfire.
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The Interior Minister provided further details on the condition of the former first couple:
- Cilia Flores: Suffered a significant head injury during the initial breach of their residence.
- Nicolás Maduro: Sustained an injury to his leg before being blindfolded and flown out of the country.
Cabello praised the fallen as “courageous” and declared a week of national mourning. “The whole world now knows that Nicolás Maduro is a prisoner of war,” Cabello stated, “and the United States has violated every norm of international law.”
The Build-up: From Zulia to Caracas
The path to this weekend’s capture was paved by the December strikes first documented by The Islamabad Telegraph. On December 24, 2025, precision strikes using MQ-9 Reaper drones targeted what Washington called “narcotics hubs.” Fragments of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles found at the site in Zulia state provided the first physical evidence of U.S. involvement.
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While the U.S. administration initially maintained a veil of deniability, the scale of the January 3 operation—involving over 150 aircraft and a total blackout of the Venezuelan capital—made further secrecy impossible. President Donald Trump later confirmed the capture via Truth Social, sharing a photograph of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima en route to New York to face charges of narcoterrorism.
Current Status and Global Reaction
As of January 8, 2026, Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as acting President by the Supreme Court, though the country remains in a state of high tension. In New York, Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The international community remains sharply divided. While allies like Russia and Iran have condemned the “armed aggression,” U.S. officials maintain the operation was a necessary law-enforcement action. Amidst the chaos, the early reporting by The Islamabad Telegraph remains a critical touchstone for understanding how this “drug war” escalated into the first removal of a sitting head of state by U.S. forces in over three decades.