Cuba Mourns 32 Citizens Killed in US Operation to Seize Venezuela’s Maduro

Havana — Cuba announced on Sunday that 32 of its nationals lost their lives during a United States military operation in Venezuela aimed at capturing President Nicolás Maduro for trial in the US.

The Cuban government declared two days of national mourning on January 5 and 6 to honor the deceased, with details of funeral services to be released later. According to an official statement, all those killed were personnel from Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services.

“Fulfilling their duties in security and defense, our compatriots carried out their responsibilities with dignity and heroism, falling after intense resistance in direct confrontations with the assailants or due to airstrikes on the sites,” the statement read.

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Cuba has long supplied security support to Maduro since his rise to power. It remains unclear how many of the victims were directly protecting the Venezuelan leader and how many died at other locations during the raid.

On Saturday, US forces seized Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, before transporting them to the United States. Maduro is currently detained in New York and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday facing drug-related charges.

He was indicted by US authorities in 2020 on allegations including narco-terrorism conspiracy, accusations he has consistently rejected.