HAVANA — In a dramatic turn of events, the Cuban government has reported that a U.S. military operation in Venezuela resulted in the deaths of 32 Cuban officers over the weekend. This announcement, made on Sunday, marks the first official death toll following the American strikes in the South American nation.
The Cuban officers, comprising both military and police personnel, were reportedly on a mission in Venezuela at the behest of the Venezuelan government. This was confirmed through a statement broadcast on Cuban state television Sunday night. Although the precise nature of their mission remains undisclosed, Cuba’s longstanding alliance with Venezuela has often seen it dispatch forces to assist in various operations.
Rumors about the casualties had been swirling around Cuba since the weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington from Florida, acknowledged the incident, stating, “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
The U.S. operation, conducted on Saturday, culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. They are set to face charges related to an indictment that accuses them of being part of a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
While the Venezuelan government has confirmed casualties resulting from the American attacks, they have not disclosed an exact death toll to The Associated Press, leaving many details of the incident shrouded in mystery.
While Venezuela’s government has acknowledged that a number of people died in the American blasts, they did not confirm how many were killed to The Associated Press.
Cuba’s government announced two days of mourning for the Cuban officers who were killed, and former president and revolutionary leader Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent condolences to their families. The names of the dead and the positions they held were not immediately disclosed by Cuban authorities.
“Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities,” the official statement said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, also pointed to Cuban involvement in Venezuela over the weekend, saying that Maduro’s internal security apparatus was headed by Cubans and that they were “propping up Maduro.”
“All the guards that help protect Maduro – this is well known – their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans,” Rubio said.
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Associated Press reporters Megan Janetsky in Mexico City and Darlene Superville aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.
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