The Cuban government said 32 of its citizens were killed in the US raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, and plunged Caracas into chaos and uncertainty.
Cuba declared two days of mourning on January 5 and 6 in honour of those killed, and said funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.
“True to their responsibilities concerning security and defence, 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 bombings,” the Cuban government said.
Cuba has been providing some of Mr Maduro's since he came to power and part of his security team was killed in the US military operation in “cold blood”, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said.
US President Donald Trump told The New York Post that “many Cubans lost their lives”, with Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirming 32 of its citizens – soldiers and Interior Ministry agents – had been killed.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba’s leaders should be concerned by Mr Maduro’s removal. “The Cuban government is a huge problem,” he said. “I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.”
The Venezuelan President, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being held in a New York detention centre, after US forces seized them in Caracas. They are due to appear in a US court on Monday before a federal judge to face narco-terrorism charges. Mr Maduro was first indicted in 2020.
Mr Trump has warned of more strikes if Venezuela fails to co-operate with US efforts to open up its oil industry and stop alleged drug trafficking.
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez, who is also Oil Minister, has offered to collaborate with the US on an agenda focused on “shared development”, striking a conciliatory tone.
Trump administration officials have portrayed the raid and capture as law-enforcement actions to hold Mr Maduro accountable for crimes.
But Mr Trump has also said the military operation was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the US and the country's decision to nationalise US oil interests decades ago. “We're taking back what they stole,” said the US leader. “We're in charge.”
US oil companies will return to Venezuela, a country which still has the world's largest oil reserves, to rebuild its petroleum industry, Mr Trump said. “They're going to spend billions of dollars and they're going to take the oil out of the ground,” he added.
