Conflicts
More than 30 Cubans killed in US attack on Venezuela
Updated January 5, 2026 – 3:40 amReading time: 2 minutes
Numerous soldiers and secret service agents from important ally Cuba are deployed in Venezuela. Many died in the US attack and Maduro’s arrest – possibly his bodyguards.
32 members of the Cuban security forces were also killed in the US military’s attack on Venezuela and the capture of the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro. They were sent to the South American country at the request of the Venezuelan authorities, according to Cuba’s ruling Communist Party.
“True to their responsibility for security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and, after tough resistance, fell in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of the facilities,” the statement said.
According to experts, security forces from allied Cuba have been deployed in Venezuela for years. Among other things, Cuban secret service agents are supposed to help keep armed forces soldiers in line.
Cuban bodyguards are also said to have been primarily responsible for Maduro’s personal safety. “Many Cubans were killed yesterday trying to protect him,” said US President Donald Trump. The Venezuelan Defense Ministry said that “a large portion” of Maduro’s security team had been killed in the US operation.
The USA attacked a number of targets in Venezuela on Saturday night, captured the authoritarian President Maduro and brought him out of the country. He is to be tried in New York on drug charges.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the government in Cuba as a “huge problem”. He said this on the US broadcaster NBC News when asked whether the US attack on Venezuela would now be followed by an operation against Cuba. He does not want to talk about future steps by the US government with regard to Cuba. “But I think it’s no secret that we’re not big fans of the Cuban regime.” Rubio continued that this supported Venezuela’s deposed head of state Maduro.
Cuba has been under authoritarian rule since the victory of the revolution in 1959. The Communist Party controls the state, economy and society. Other parties are not permitted on the socialist Caribbean island. According to human rights activists, over 1,000 political prisoners are in custody. Relations between Havana and Washington have been tense for decades – steps towards a cautious rapprochement under US President Barack Obama have been reversed by Donald Trump.
