The Strike on Venezuela

By Jordyn Sanchez

Chief editor

On Jan. 3rd, in the early morning, Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted a list on social media of the locations reportedly bombed by the United States military forces in Venezuela: La Carlota Air Base, Fuerte Tiuna, Cuartel de la Montaña, and Federal Legislative Palace, as well as Central Caracas, which was justified by Donald Trump’s administration’s claims about fentanyl smuggling from Venezuela, which critics say were false claims.

While the bombing was happening, President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted, which Democratic lawmakers and legal experts argue was illegal against both the U.S. and Venezuela’s constitutional rights without congressional approval, but after his abduction, Diosdado Rodríguez took over his spot for the presidency.

“So, I was worried about my family because my sister, my other sister, my grandma, and my cousins were living in Venezuela. I was really worried about them,” Cesar Perez Carrasquel said.

According to Venezuelan officials, more than 112 people were reported injured in the U.S. bombing, most of them being Venezuelan soldiers, Cuban soldiers, and individuals who were peacefully sleeping through the night before the bombing occurred.

“I think the Venezuelan bombing impacted my friends because I feel that everyone is happy because I feel that they are finally free from the power of Maduro’s dictatorship after so long,” said Wisneydji Merlilin.

Human rights organizations and U.S. officials have described Maduro’s government as a tyranny throughout the whole country by dealing in systematic repression and fraud, and filling the supreme court with loyalists to go against his word.

“No, the bombing wasn’t needed in Venezuela,” Carrasquel said.

There is no public evidence that Venezuela posed an immediate threat, according to experts, as Trump states that fentanyl smuggling is a big thing; however, studies by the DEA

National Drug Threat Assessment and the U.S. State Department’s International Narcotics Control Strategy show that Venezuela is not known to be a major producer or source of fentanyl.

“Yes, I feel bad for them because I think no one should go through that, and they could end up hurting their family, which they didn’t do anything,” Nathan Garza said. “It was just their president.”

The residential neighborhood of La Boyera, apartment complexes, and other buildings were destroyed in the bombing, causing many Venezuelans to lose their homes, valuables, important documents, and more; not only that, but also the loss of many family members, which led to a ceremony held not too long after the bombing to honor those who lost their lives during the attack.