Washington, January 5
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that calls have been made to American service members injured during his administration's recent operation in Venezuela and that they are "in good shape," while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
The President said the raid, carried out by the US Army's elite Delta Force with assistance from an FBI unit, did not result in any US fatalities. However, a small number of troops sustained injuries during the operation, CNN reported, citing a source briefed on the matter.
According to the report, the injured personnel suffered bullet and shrapnel wounds while carrying out the mission. A senior White House official told CNN that all the injuries were minor in nature and that the injured service members are in stable condition and recovering well.
Speaking about the operation, Trump said that one of the helicopters involved was hit during the mission. "One of the helicopters got hit pretty badly, but we got everything back, and nobody was killed," he said. He did not provide further operational details.
When asked by reporters about who was in charge of the operation, the President declined to provide a direct answer, saying that answering the question would be "very controversial."
"Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial... It means we're in charge..." he said, without elaborating further.
Trump also made strong comments on the overall situation in Venezuela, describing the country as being in severe decline. "It is a dead country right now," he said, while drawing a comparison to what he claimed the United States would have faced had he lost the presidential election.
Referring to Venezuela's oil sector, the President said the country requires major investment to rebuild its infrastructure. He claimed that several large oil companies are ready to invest and help restore production. "The oil companies are ready to go and rebuild the infrastructure," he said, adding that the infrastructure had been built years ago but later taken away.
Trump criticised Venezuela's leadership, stating that the country has been "horribly run" and that oil production is currently at a very low level. He reiterated his view that mismanagement had led to the present economic and infrastructure crisis.
US officials have not released additional details about the objectives or outcomes of the operation. Authorities said further information would be shared as appropriate.
The situation in Venezuela continues to be closely watched, with Washington maintaining that its actions are aimed at protecting US interests and addressing regional instability.
- ANI
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