32 bodies returned to Cuba of officers killed during US strike on Venezuela

Havana observed a day of solemn mourning on Thursday as the remains of 32 Cuban officers, killed during what was described as a stunning US attack in Venezuela, arrived back in the capital. White-gloved soldiers marched from a plane carrying the boxes, accompanied by the sombre sounds of trumpets and drums at Havana’s airport.

Thousands of Cubans lined one of the city’s most iconic streets, awaiting the bodies of colonels, lieutenants, majors, and captains, as the island continued to face threats from the administration of Donald Trump.

Hours earlier, state television broadcast images of more than a dozen wounded individuals, accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, arriving from Venezuela on Wednesday night.

Some were in wheelchairs. An official announcer identified them as "combatants" who had been "wounded" in Venezuela, greeted by the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera.

The deceased, aged between 26 and 60, were part of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s security detail during a raid on his residence on 3 January.

They included members of Cuba’s two security agencies: the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior. Cuban and Venezuelan authorities have stated that the uniformed personnel were present under protection agreements between the two nations.

These arrivals coincide with escalating tensions between Cuba and the US. Donald Trump recently demanded that the Caribbean nation "make a deal" with him before it is "too late," without specifying the nature of the agreement. He has also declared that Cuba will no longer benefit from Venezuela's money and oil. Experts warn that an abrupt cessation of oil shipments could be catastrophic for Cuba, which is already grappling with severe blackouts and a crumbling power grid.

The remains of those killed are to be placed at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, adjacent to Revolution Square, allowing the public to pay their respects. Additionally, a large demonstration is planned for Friday at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, an open-air forum opposite the US Embassy. "People are upset and hurt. There’s a lot of talk on social media; but many do believe that the dead are martyrs” of a historic struggle against the United States, analyst and former diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press.

Thursday’s mass funeral marks one of only a handful organised by the Cuban government in nearly half a century. Previous significant ceremonies include the October 1976 farewell to 73 victims of a Cubana de Aviación bombing, and "Operation Tribute" in December 1989, honouring over 2,000 Cuban combatants who died in Angola. In October 1997, memorial services were held for the remains of guerrilla commander Ernesto "Che" Guevara and six comrades.