Havana witnessed a day of national mourning as the remains of 32 Cuban military and intelligence personnel, killed in Venezuela, were returned home. The solemn event saw the country's top leadership, including Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz Canel, receive the cremated ashes at the airport.
A Solemn Return for Fallen Heroes
From early morning, a large crowd of military staff, government officials, and ordinary citizens lined the streets from Havana's airport to the Armed Forces Ministry. They gathered to pay respects as a funeral procession carried the remains of the 32 Cuban troops. Inside the ministry, each box of ashes was covered with a Cuban flag and placed beside a photograph of the fallen individual, under a banner reading "honour and glory".
Despite the full military honors, this event represents a significant and painful moment for the Cuban government. Analysts note this is the single largest loss of Cuban combatants to US military action since the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. The fact that over six decades passed without a comparable clash highlights the rarity and severity of this incident.
Revealing a Long-Denied Presence
The aftermath of the US intervention in Venezuela, which led to the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, compelled the Cuban government to publicly acknowledge a fact it had consistently denied. Havana was forced to admit the presence of its intelligence officers within the power structures of Caracas.
This confirmation validates long-standing claims from Venezuelan sources that Cubans were embedded at all levels of the country's security apparatus. It is now clear that intelligence cooperation formed a crucial pillar of the strategic Cuba-Venezuela alliance. In essence, Cuba shared its decades of experience in maintaining political control with its Venezuelan partners, and the 32 individuals killed were part of executing that shared strategy.
The Human Cost of a Strategic Partnership
The superior training and equipment of the US Delta Force operatives involved meant they emerged from the engagement virtually unharmed. This military reality, however, offers no solace to the grieving families in Cuba. Relatives were seen tearfully touching the wooden boxes containing the ashes of their loved ones during the ceremony in Havana.
This event has laid bare the depth and risks of Cuba's overseas engagements. The return of the 32 coffins is not just a national tragedy but a chastening episode that exposes the tangible costs of Havana's foreign policy and its deep, now undeniable, involvement in Venezuelan affairs.
