Cuba says 32 officers killed after US strikes in Venezuela

After US strikes on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife, the Cuban government informed on Sunday that about 32 Cuban officers were killed over the weekend.  

The death toll was provided during the first death count after the American strikes in the South American nation.  

The Cuban military and police officers were on a mission the Caribbean country’s military was carrying out at the request of Venezuela’s government, according to a statement read on Cuban state TV on Sunday night.

“You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew Sunday night from Florida back to Washington. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”

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While Venezuela’s government has acknowledged that a number of people died in the American blasts, they did not confirm how many were killed to The Associated Press.

The government of Cuba announced two days of state mourning for the Cuban officers that died in the attack, and former president and revolutionary leader Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent condolences to their families.

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The names of the dead and the positions they held were not immediately disclosed by Cuban authorities.

“Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings of the facilities,” the official statement said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out the involvement of Cubans in the Venezuelan attack. Rubio said that the whole spy agency of Venezuela is filled with Cubans.    

“All the guards that help protect Maduro — this is well known — their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans,” Rubio said.