Eight Venezuelan soldiers killed in clashes on Colombian border

The defence ministry made the announcement two days after it reported fierce fighting with ‘irregular Colombian armed groups’.

Eight Venezuelan soldiers have been killed in clashes with armed groups operating on the Colombian border, doubling the toll since an offensive against the combatants started in March, the defence ministry in Caracas said. The ministry announced the names of the soldiers without providing further details, two days after it reported fierce fighting with “irregular Colombian armed groups” that resulted in a “significant number” of casualties. Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez took to public television to extend the government’s condolences to the families of the soldiers he said were “fulfilling the oath to defend the homeland to their last breath”.