Thirty-two Cubans killed in US attack on Venezuela

The Cuban government says 32 of its nationals were killed in the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

It said the dead were members of its armed forces and intelligence agencies, and two days of national mourning were declared.

A brief statement did not specify the role of the Cubans in Venezuela, but the two governments are longtime allies, with Cuba providing security support in exchange for oil.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said they had provided protection to Maduro and his wife “at the request” of Venezuela.

An official government statement said: “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 bombing of the installations.”

Venezuela has not confirmed how many people were killed in the US raid on Maduro’s compound in Caracas on Saturday.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed Venezuelan official, reported Sunday that the death toll stood at 80 and was expected to rise. BBC News has not independently verified this report.

In the days since Maduro’s capture, questions have been raised about whether the Trump administration might consider a similar operation against Cuba, which, like Venezuela, has decades of contentious relations with the United States.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said military action would not be necessary because “Cuba is ready to fall.”

He continued: “I don’t think we need to act. It looks like the numbers are going down. The numbers are going down.”

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Cuba a “disaster” run by “incompetent and senile men”.

“If I lived in Havana and I was in government, I would be worried, at least a little,” Rubio said.

In July last year, Trump signed memorandum imposing tougher restrictions on Cubareversing steps taken by his predecessor Joe Biden to ease pressure on the Caribbean island nation.

The White House said it would end “economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government, military, intelligence or security agencies at the expense of the Cuban people.”

He also said existing restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba would be enforced more strictly.

During his first presidential term, Trump took a similar approach to Cuba, implementing a series of additional sanctions.

His administration has maintained the economic embargo against Cuba, despite calls from international organizations, including the United Nations, to end it.

The blockade was initially imposed in 1962 and has been in effect ever since.