CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday that eight soldiers were killed in combat amid continuing clashes between the armed forces and illegal armed groups along the border with Colombia.
In a brief post on the ministry's website, Padrino listed the names of the eight soldiers, without providing details about how they died. On Monday, Padrino said Venezuela's armed forces had suffered deaths and injuries in fighting along the border in the prior 72 hours, but did not specify how many had died.
Earlier on Wednesday, Army Commander General Domingo Hernandez wrote on Twitter that four sergeants were killed on the battlefield while fighting "in defense of the fatherland," without elaborating when, where or under what circumstances they died. Those four were also included on Padrino's list.