Key takeaways
- The New York Times, citing four anonymous US officials, reports US intelligence and drones supported Venezuela's 30 October strike on an ELN camp.
- A senior Venezuelan commander confirmed his forces carried out the attack but said he was not briefed on any US role.
- Fundaredes counts at least 23 dead, an unverified NGO figure, and says not all victims were combatants.
- Neither government has commented officially, while US talks with Caracas on a Status of Forces Agreement are reported to be under way.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday 3 November, citing four US officials, that Venezuela's strike on a camp of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Apure state on Friday 30 October was carried out with US intelligence and drone support. The ELN is a Colombian guerrilla group that operates along the Venezuelan border. The newspaper said it was not previously public who had been responsible for the attack. The officials spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A senior Venezuelan military commander confirmed on Monday 2 November that Venezuela's armed forces carried out the attack, according to Semana, the Colombian outlet that summarised the Times report. He asked for anonymity and said he had not been personally briefed on any US role. Fundaredes, the Venezuelan rights group that monitors the border, now counts at least 23 dead. Neither government has commented officially. Crisis.Zone reported the strike on 2 November, when the only account of a US role came from an anonymous Venezuelan military source, who said the attack had been supported by US intelligence.
What the reporting establishes and what it leaves open
The strike came before dawn on Friday, El Tiempo reported. The site was a forested rural area of Buena Vista del Meta, in Pedro Camejo municipality, south-west Apure. Fundaredes describes the camp as a cocaine distribution hub.
García told the Times that residents of nearby farms heard two explosions and found bodies among the wreckage. He said he saw several bodies in a morgue over the weekend, many of them "mutilated" by the explosives. He added that, according to survivors and relatives, not all the dead were combatants.
Who flew the drones is unknown, Semana reported. A US official said that type of equipment is usually operated by US military forces. That is an indication, not a finding.
The toll is an NGO count and has not been independently verified. The Rio Times reports that morgue workers recorded at least eight bodies, with other counts running from eight to 19. Local journalists at Alianza Rebelde Investiga identified eight of the dead, including two Colombians and four Mexicans, El País reported.
Observers are reading: how the SOFA talks, Cabello's remarks and past ELN tolerance combine into an accountability gap along the Venezuelan border.
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What to watch
Three developments would narrow the gap. The first is an on-the-record statement from Washington or Caracas. The second is a published list of the dead, since the eight identifications by local journalists are not confirmed by any authority. The third is whether more operations follow. A senior Venezuelan officer told AFP, as Crisis.Zone reported on 2 November, that forces were going to continue combing through the area because they believe there are more camps. That remains an anonymous statement of intent.
Until an official owns the operation, the record rests on anonymous officers, a rights group and local journalists. The SOFA talks may eventually supply a legal framework. The strike and the June operation, however, came before any such agreement was reported.
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