US Defense Secretary: "About 200 Troops Deployed to Arrest Maduro"

Hegseth: "Not a single American was killed"

Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense, announced that approximately 200 troops were deployed in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, to arrest President Nicolas Maduro.

Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense. Photo by AP News Agency

According to AFP and other sources on January 5 (local time), Secretary Hegseth stated in a speech to Navy personnel and shipbuilding workers in Newport News, Virginia, that "about 200 of America's top talents entered downtown Caracas and arrested an individual wanted by U.S. law enforcement as part of a law enforcement support operation," adding, "Not a single American was killed."

This is the first time a U.S. official has specifically disclosed the size of the force that raided Caracas to arrest President Maduro. However, it remains unclear whether this figure refers only to the ground troops airlifted into Caracas by helicopter, or if it also includes other personnel who supported the operation.

On January 3, the United States conducted a surprise operation named "Operation Absolute Resolve," during which President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were arrested at a safe house in Caracas. The arrest and extraction at the scene were carried out by Delta Force, the U.S. Army's most elite special operations unit, and more than 150 military aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, were reportedly mobilized for various missions, such as striking Venezuela's air defense network.

The Maduro couple, extradited to the United States, appeared for the first time in a New York court on the same day. Through an interpreter, President Maduro stated, "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a dignified person," and pleaded not guilty to all four criminal charges against him, including conspiracy to traffic narcotics.