ByREUTERS, CORINNE BAUM
Updated:

The Cuban government said on Sunday that 32 of its citizens were killed during the US raid on Venezuela to extract President Nicolas Maduro for prosecution in the United States.

The Cuban government statement gave few details, but said all the dead were members of the Cuban armed forces and intelligence agencies.

"True to their responsibilities concerning security and defense, 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 bombings on the facilities," the statement said.

Cuba has provided some security for Maduro since he came to power. It was not clear how many Cubans were guarding the Venezuelan president when they died and how many may have perished elsewhere.

Havana said there would be two days of mourning on January 5 and 6 in honor of those killed and said funeral arrangements would be announced.

Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro poses next to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Terry Cole as he is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S., January 3, 2026.
Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro poses next to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Terry Cole as he is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S., January 3, 2026. (credit: Handout via Reuters)

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said American military intervention in Cuba is unlikely to be needed because the country appears to be ready to fall on its own, he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

"Cuba's about to be down for the count," he said.

On Saturday, United States special forces launched an unprecedented operation in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, combining cyberwarfare, airstrikes, and a targeted ground raid that culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela declared a national emergency after the US carried out strikes across the country, with explosions heard in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and the southern part of the city losing power.

Venezuelan president captured by United States

During the strikes, the US captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and took them back to the US to be put on trial.

Maduro was charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States, according to US Attorney-General Pam Bondi.

Maduro is expected to appear in court on Monday, but there has been no public announcement of his court date.