Cuba has announced that 32 of its citizens were killed during a United States military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, a development that has heightened regional tensions.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Cuban government said those killed were members of its armed forces and intelligence services. It declared January 5 and 6 as national days of mourning and noted that details of funeral arrangements would be released in due course.
Havana said the personnel died while carrying out security and defence duties during what it described as intense combat and bombardment of facilities targeted in the raid, adding that their actions were “dignified and heroic.”
Cuba has for years provided security and intelligence support to the Maduro administration, although it remains unclear how many Cuban personnel were directly involved in guarding the Venezuelan leader at the time of the operation and how many were killed elsewhere during the assault. The incident represents one of the heaviest reported losses linked to Cuba’s involvement in Venezuela.
Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested in Caracas on Saturday and flown to the United States, where he is being held at a detention facility in New York ahead of a court appearance. The Venezuelan president was indicted by US prosecutors in 2020 on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, allegations he has repeatedly denied.
