Havana, Cuba The government of Cuba has received the remains of 32 of its soldiers who were killed during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
The bodies were flown into José Martí International Airport in Havana on January 15, 2026, where they were greeted with official honors. The coffins, draped in Cuban flags, were escorted by soldiers and attended by high-ranking officials including President Miguel Díaz-Canel and former leader Raúl Castro.
The 32 who died were members of the Cuban armed forces and intelligence services deployed in Venezuela under security agreements between the two nations. They were reportedly killed during combat or as a result of the U.S. attack on Caracas on January 3, which was aimed at capturing Maduro to bring him to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.
In a statement during the ceremony, Cuban officials honored the dead as national heroes, praising their service and “heroic defense” of a sister nation. Thousands of Cubans lined the streets as the motorcade transported the remains to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Havana.
Cuba has declared periods of national mourning in response to the deaths, which have also sparked large demonstrations in Havana against the U.S. action. Thousands of Cubans rallied outside the U.S. Embassy to denounce the raid and demand Maduro’s release.
The incident has sharply increased tensions between Washington and Havana, with Cuban leaders condemning what they call acts of aggression and reaffirming their commitment to defending the nation’s sovereignty.
