Wed | Jan 28, 2026

Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US operation in Venezuela

Published:Monday | January 5, 2026 | 3:27 PM
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves Venezuelan and Cuban national flags during a rally in Havana, Saturday, January 3, 2026, in solidarity after the US captured President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of Venezuela. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Ramon Espinosa
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves Venezuelan and Cuban national flags during a rally in Havana, Saturday, January 3, 2026, in solidarity after the US captured President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of Venezuela. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

HAVANA (AP) — An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday in the first official death count provided of 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.

What the Cubans were working on in the South American nation was unclear, but Cuba is a close ally of Venezuela’s government and has sent military and police forces to assist in operations for years. Rumors of the deaths circulated on the island over the weekend.

“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.”

The US operation Saturday seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife to face prosecution on an indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

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.

Cuba’s government 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 their families.

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

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