Thirty-two Cubans killed during US attack on Venezuela
The Cuban government says 32 of its nationals were killed in the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
He described the deaths as members of his armed forces and intelligence agencies having been killed “during combat actions”, declaring two days of national mourning.
The armed forces added that the Cubans “had fallen, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombing of installations.”
Cuba, a longtime ally of Venezuela, has for years provided Maduro with personal security services and has personnel throughout the Venezuelan military.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said his country had provided protection to Maduro and his wife “at the request” of Venezuela.
US spies had been monitoring Maduro’s movements for months before US forces attacked, according to US General Dan Caine.
General Caine said they learned where the former leader moved, lived, traveled, ate and worked.
The New York Times reported that the CIA also recruited a “Venezuelan source” who allegedly informed the Americans of Maduro’s exact location.
Many of those killed are believed to have been part of Maduro’s close security detail, who were with him at the time.
Venezuela has not confirmed the number of people killed, but its armed forces said a “large part” of Maduro’s security team was among the victims.
An official statement from the Cuban government said: “Our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism.”
The total death toll – according to an anonymous Venezuelan official cited by the New York Times – stands at 80 and is expected to rise further. BBC News has not independently verified this report.
In the days since Maduro’s arrest, questions have been raised about whether the Trump administration might consider a similar operation against Cuba, which, like Venezuela, has decades of contentious relations with the United States.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said military action would not be necessary because “Cuba is ready to fall.”
He continued: “I don’t think we need to act. It looks like the numbers are going down. The numbers are going down.”
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Cuba a “disaster” run by “incompetent and senile men”.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in government, I would be worried, at least a little,” Rubio said.
In July last year, Trump signed a memorandum imposing tighter restrictions on Cuba, reversing measures taken by his predecessor, Joe Biden, easing pressure on the Caribbean island nation.
The White House said it would end “economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government, military, intelligence or security agencies at the expense of the Cuban people.”
He also said existing restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba would be enforced more strictly.
During his first presidential term, Trump took a similar approach to Cuba, implementing a series of additional sanctions.
His administration has maintained the economic embargo against Cuba, despite calls from international organizations, including the United Nations, to end it.
The blockade was initially imposed in 1962 and has been in effect ever since.
