The recent American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers, the Cuban government said Sunday, offering the first official death toll from U.S. strikes in the South American country.
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," U.S. 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 U.S. operation Saturday seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to face prosecution on an indictment accusing them of participating in an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.
