NAIROBI, Kenya- Cuba has said that 32 of its military and police officers were killed during a United States military operation in Venezuela over the weekend, marking the first official death toll issued by Havana following the American strikes in the South American country.
In a statement read on Cuban state television on Sunday night, the Cuban government said the officers were deployed in Venezuela at the request of President Nicolás Maduro’s government as part of an ongoing security mission.
Details of their specific assignment were not disclosed.
According to the statement, the officers died either in direct combat with the attackers or as a result of bombings targeting facilities where they were stationed.
The Cuban government announced two days of national mourning in their honour.
Former president Raúl Castro and current President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent messages of condolence to the families of the deceased. However, Cuban authorities did not immediately release the names of the officers or the ranks they held.
“Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defence, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism,” the statement said.
Cuba has for years maintained close political and security ties with Venezuela and has previously deployed military and police personnel to support the Maduro administration.
US Operation and Arrest of Maduro
The deaths followed a US military operation on Saturday that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The US government said the pair were seized to face prosecution under an indictment accusing them of involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
While Venezuelan authorities acknowledged that fatalities occurred during the American strikes, they did not provide an official death toll when contacted by The Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night as he flew from Florida to Washington, said there were no American casualties during the operation.
“A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” Trump said. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
US Officials Point to Cuban Role in Venezuela
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also highlighted Cuba’s involvement in Venezuela’s internal security over the weekend, alleging that Cuban personnel were deeply embedded in Maduro’s security and intelligence structures.
“All the guards that help protect Maduro — this is well known — their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans,” Rubio said, adding that they were “propping up Maduro.”
Cuban authorities have not responded directly to Rubio’s remarks, and no further details were provided on the scope of Cuba’s security presence in Venezuela.
