Cuba’s government said Sunday that an American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the government’s first official death count of the strikes. The statement, read on Cuban state television, said the Cuban military and police officers were on a mission being carried out at the request of Venezuela’s government.
The Cuban government did not say what the officers were doing in Venezuela, and it was unclear what work they were involved in there. Cuba, described in the report as a close ally of Venezuela’s government, has sent military and police forces to assist Venezuelan operations for years, and rumors of the deaths circulated on the island over the weekend.
In comments reported by the Associated Press, President Donald Trump said on Air Force One that “a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday” and added, “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.” The report said the U.S. operation on Saturday seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife to face prosecution on an indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
The report said Venezuela’s government acknowledged that some people died in the American blasts, but did not confirm how many were killed to The Associated Press. Cuba 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 the families of those who died.
Cuba’s official statement said the officers were acting in defense and security roles, and described their deaths as coming after “fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers” or “as a result of the bombings of the facilities.” The names of the dead and the positions they held were not disclosed immediately by Cuban authorities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is described in the report as the son of Cuban immigrants, pointed to Cuba’s role in Venezuela over the weekend. Rubio said Maduro’s internal security apparatus was headed by Cubans and that they were “propping up Maduro,” and he also said the “whole spy agency” and guards protecting Maduro were “full of Cubans.” The report said it was not clear from the Cuban government’s statement what the officers were working on in Venezuela at the time of the operation.