Cuba Recognized Deaths of 32 of its Soldiers in Venezuela; Earlier Reports Claim 80 Maduro’s Bodyguards Dead

During the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, US special forces killed 32 Cuban soldiers.

This was reported on the official account of the Cuban Embassy in Colombia on X.

According to the published information, among the dead are the representatives of the Cuban Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).

These structures used their intelligence capabilities to provide direct protection andsecurity in the inner circle of the Venezuelan president.

“Cuba is declaring two days of national mourning for the soldiers killed in the line of duty in Venezuela. 32 Cubans – members of the FAR and MININT – were victims of the United States’ criminal attack on Venezuela after fierce resistance or were killed in the attacks,” the Cuban Embassy in Colombia said.

In addition, during his speech, Marco Rubio said that the Venezuelan president actively engaged Cuban intelligence services to ensure his own security, search for traitors, and control internal surveillance.

According to him, the Cubans themselves handed Maduro over to American special forces.

At the same time, given the number of the Cubans, some of them resisted.

“The entire internal security apparatus was under the control of the Cubans. Maduro was guarded not by the Venezuelan but by the Cuban security service. Cuban intelligence also ran the internal surveillance system, tracking who was spying on whom within the regime to prevent defections or treason,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

It is worth noting that the use of Cuban intelligence services by Nicolás Maduro is not accidental. This cooperation between Venezuela and Cuba began in the late 1990s, when Hugo Chávez came to power and established close contacts with Fidel Castro.

At that time, Venezuela helped Cuba improve its economic situation, which contributed to the formation of very close ties between the countries. The high point of these relations was the attempted coup in Venezuela in 2002. After that, Chávez lost confidence in his own military and intelligence services.

Despite Nicolás Maduro’s coming to power in 2013, he did not create this system; it was built in the 2000s.

According to Marco Rubio, Maduro felt safe only when surrounded by the Cubans, who, unlike the local intelligence services and military, were not tempted to go over to the opposition.

As a reminder, the safe execution of the operation was made possible by a powerful agent network of American special services using drones and satellites, as well as access to Maduro’s entourage.

According to US General John Daniel Kane, the intelligence component made it possible to obtain a complete picture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s daily life, including information about his travel routes, habits, diet, and even pets.

The operation involved various intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

In addition, the operation involved about 150 aircraft of various types, which provided air cover, transportation, and support for ground forces. The aircraft operated throughout the Western Hemisphere in close coordination.