Cuban authorities sources have confirmed that 32 Cuban Armed Forces personnel have been killed in motion when engaged by U.S. forces in Venezuela on January 3. This adopted affirmation from Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Lopez that almost all of President Nicholas Maduro’s safety element was killed throughout the operation by U.S. Army Delta Power particular forces to abduct him, though the total variety of casualties was not specified. Unconfirmed experiences point out that lots of the Cuban personnel killed in motion have been a part of the president’s safety element, though U.S. forces inflicted casualties throughout a number of army amenities and key infrastructure websites throughout the capital Caracas. A chance additionally stays that Cuban personnel might have been manning medium and lengthy vary air defence programs which have been focused by U.S. forces.
Havana stated there can be two days of mourning on January 5 and 6 in honour of these killed, observing concerning the circumstances of their deaths: “True to their duties regarding safety and defence, our compatriots fulfilled their obligation with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct fight in opposition to the attackers or because of bombings on the amenities.” Acknowledging the demise toll amongst Cuban personnel, U.S. President Donald Trump instructed reporters aboard Air Power One on January 4: “lots of Cubans have been killed yesterday.” Cuba and Venezuela have had shut safety ties for near 20 years, with Cuba having had a for much longer historical past of working superior army gear, however having restricted entry to it for the reason that disintegration of the Soviet Union minimize off army support. This has lengthy fuelled hypothesis that Cuban personnel could also be relied on to assist function superior gear equivalent to Su-30MK2 fighter plane and S-300VM lengthy vary air defence programs.
Cuba has an extended historical past of deploying forces overseas to help Western Bloc adversaries, together with to take part within the 1973 Yom Kippur Warfare on the facet of Syria, and to help socialist Angolan forces throughout clashes with South Africa together with working MiG-23 fighters and native air defence programs. The nation has remained in a state of battle with the Untied States for the reason that late Nineteen Fifties, and stays underneath a U.S. blockade. Tensions with Washington flared in 2021, when native and Russian sources warned of a attainable U.S. assault on the nation. The Cuban Armed Forces have seen their standing decline considerably for the reason that early Nineteen Nineties, as a lack of Soviet help to counterbalance the results of the U.S. blockade had devastating results for the native financial system. Financial ties with Venezuela have over the previous 20 years performed a significant position in sustaining the Cuban financial system.
