Cuba has announced that 32 of its citizens were killed during the United States operation in Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro for prosecution in the United States.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Cuban government said all those killed were members of the Cuban armed forces and intelligence services. Havana declared January 5 and 6 days of national mourning and said funeral arrangements would be announced separately.
The statement provided limited operational details but said the Cuban personnel died while carrying out security and defense duties. It said they were killed either during direct combat with the attackers or as a result of air strikes on facilities during the assault.
Cuba has long provided security support to Maduro since he took power, though authorities did not specify how many of the Cuban nationals were guarding the Venezuelan leader at the time of the operation or how many were killed elsewhere in the country.
US forces arrested the 63-year-old Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas on Saturday and flew them to the United States. Maduro is currently being held at a detention facility in New York and is expected to appear in court on Monday on drug-related charges.
Washington first indicted Maduro in 2020 on accusations including conspiracy to traffic narcotics. He has consistently denied all allegations.
The deaths of Cuban personnel add a new international dimension to the unfolding crisis, heightening tensions between Havana and Washington as regional and global reactions to the operation continue to develop.
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