Venezuela holds mass funeral for soldiers killed in US military operation

Venezuela’s military has begun burying dozens of soldiers killed in a United States military operation, holding a mass funeral in the capital, Caracas. Men carried wooden caskets draped in the Venezuelan flag, passing rows of uniformed officers. Singing echoed from a church as music from a military orchestra filled the air, while grieving families and soldiers marched behind the coffins. Other vehicles carrying caskets were covered in flowers, as relatives waited to pay their respects.

The ceremony continued at a state-owned cemetery in a low-income neighborhood in the south of the city. Armed National Guard members patrolled the grounds while families completed burial paperwork ahead of the funerals.

Venezuela’s military says at least 24 security officers were killed during the overnight U.S. operation to capture President Nicolás Maduro and take him to the United States to face drug charges.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed, describing the operation as a war crime and announcing an investigation.

The deaths follow Cuba’s announcement that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were also killed.

In a statement, Venezuela’s military said the fallen soldiers’ blood calls not for revenge, but for justice and strength, vowing to defend the nation’s sovereignty.