Armed operation in Venezuela leaves 14 dead, over 250 arrested

Venezuelan security forces on Monday killed 14 and detained over 250 criminals in a heavily armed operation against criminal gangs in Caracas and the central states of Aragua and Miranda.

"At least 14 criminals have died and one was wounded, while over 250 delinquents have been arrested in this operation to free different zones of our country taken over by criminal groups," Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace Gustavo Gonzalez said in a televised broadcast.

"Among the criminals arrested, there were 32 foreigners with alleged links to paramilitary organizations, particularly Colombia," added the minister.

Meanwhile, the minister said seven gangs related to Colombian paramilitaries were also dismantled during the first day of the so-called "Operation Liberation of the People", which involved over 2,500 heavily armed soldiers and police officers as well as tanks and helicopters.

The operation began on Saturday with five criminals detained in Aragua, while in the rural zone of Valles del Tuy, about 50 km south of Caracas, over 900 soldiers participated in a raid that led to the arrest of nine people on suspicion of kidnapping and extortion.

With the third highest homicide rate in Latin America, Venezuela has seen repeated flare-ups of violence in recent years and crime is rampant in many cities.

For years, the government of late President Hugo Chavez sought to address tensions through a raft of social policies, such as increasing available low-income housing, subsidizing food distribution, and expanding universal healthcare.

While poverty rates have periodically dropped, prolonged economic stagnation, high inflation and continued shortages of foodstuffs such as rice and milk, have stoked unrest. Endi