Venezuela’s interior minister says 100 people have been killed and dozens injured in the US operation to kidnap Maduro.
Published January 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump said “only time will tell” how long his country will carry out attacks in Venezuela, following the recent abduction of President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces, after Venezuela’s Interior Minister announced that 100 people were killed in the operation.
In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, the president declined to say exactly when his country’s direct oversight of the South American nation would take place, but suggested it would likely last “much longer” than a year if forced to act.
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Since President Maduro’s forced ouster on Saturday, the United States has repeatedly asserted its supremacy over Venezuela, saying it would control Venezuela’s oil sales “indefinitely” despite claims by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez that no foreign power controls Caracas.
Trump said the United States is on “very good terms” with the Rodriguez administration, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “constantly talking to the Rodriguez administration,” according to the paper. He had previously threatened her with a fate worse than Maduro’s if she did not comply.
He did not say why he recognized Rodriguez as his leader over opposition leader Maria Colina Machado, who led Maduro’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, and declined to say whether new elections would be held.
“We will rebuild (Venezuela) in a very beneficial way,” he said. “We’re going to use oil and we’re going to receive oil. We’re going to lower oil prices and give Venezuela money that they desperately need.”
100 people killed in US military raid
The US military abducted the Maduros on Saturday in a dramatic attack by 150 fighter jets taking off from 20 air bases and took them to New York to stand trial on drug and weapons charges.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced Wednesday that 100 people had been killed and dozens more injured in the attack, adding that Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were injured in the “terrible” attack but were “recovering.”
Caracas had not previously released a death toll, but the military released a list of 23 dead, and Cuba said 32 of its military and intelligence personnel were killed.
Venezuelan officials said the majority of Maduro’s security forces were killed in “cold blood”.
Rodriguez praised them for their “courage” on his weekly show on state television and announced a week of mourning starting Tuesday for military personnel killed in the attack.
