Over the past weekend, 32 Cuban military personnel and police were killed during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela, the Cuban government reported on Sunday, according to LETA citing AP and AFP.
According to Cuban authorities, Cuban military and police personnel were in Venezuela at the request of the government of that country. The communist regime of Cuba maintains close ties with the leftist government of Venezuela.
In memory of the Cubans who died in Venezuela, a two-day mourning period has been declared in Cuba, according to a statement from the Cuban government.
The death of Cuban citizens as a result of the U.S. operation in Venezuela was also confirmed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Many Cubans were killed yesterday," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Washington.
Trump also expressed the opinion that the Cuban regime will fall if it stops receiving subsidized oil from Venezuela.
"Cuba is ready to fall," said the U.S. president, adding that he does not believe Washington's intervention is necessary, as the regime will collapse on its own.
"I don’t think any action is needed. It seems to have already fallen," Trump added.
Earlier reports indicated that on Saturday, during the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were detained. They were taken to New York, where they face criminal charges related to drug trafficking to the U.S.
