On January 3rd 2026 President Trump ordered the U.S. military to attack the Venezuelan capital Caracas to capture President Maduro. During the raid, the U.S. conducted numerous airstrikes on targets in Venezuela. Following the operation Airwars recorded seven incidents of alleged civilian harm or harm to civilian infrastructure as a result of U.S. strikes. In these raids as many as four civilians were reportedly killed and others injured.

The Intercept cited Airwars’ research on these incidents and reported on the subsequent revelation that SOUTHCOM – the part of the U.S. military responsible for actions in Latin America – did not have a reporting mechanism for receiving allegations of civilian harm. This differs to other U.S. military commands, including CENTCOM and AFRICOM, and raises concerns around commitment to civilian protection. As such, Airwars has been required to submit the incidents via the DOD’s Civilian Protection Center of Excellence instead.

Airwars’ Executive Director, Emily Tripp, was interviewed in the piece and explained our research efforts as well as the issues encountered at SOUTHCOM.