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Venezuela strike death toll update: 32 Cuban officers killed, overall number rises – what to know
The Cuban government has claimed that the American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend. The death toll has increased.
The Cuban government has claimed that the American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend. A statement on Cuban state TV on Sunday night said that the Cuban military and police officers were on a mission that the Caribbean country’s military was carrying out at the request of Venezuela’s government.
It is unclear what the Cubans were working on in the South American nation. Cuba is notably a close ally of Venezuela’s government, and is known for having sent military and police forces to assist in operations for years.
“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, according to the Independent. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Cuba’s government has announced two days of mourning.
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“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.
Death toll update
The death toll from Saturday's US military strike in Venezuela has risen to 80, the New York Times reported on Sunday, January 4. The number could rise further, the outlet added, citing a senior Venezuelan official.
Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino previously said that a large part of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's security team had been killed during the strike. Both civilians and military personnel reportedly died in the attack.
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Trump previously said while speaking on Fox News that no American troops were killed. However, he suggested that some service members had been injured.
After their capture, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. Maduro faces federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. The Venezuelan President has denied the allegations.
Trump has announced that the US is "going to run the country" until there is a "safe, proper and judicious transition" of power in Venezuela, according to CBS News.
