A total of 32 Cubans died during the attack by US forces that culminated in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, the Cuban government reported this Sunday (January 4, 2026).

“As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the United States government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (…) 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat actions,” the government reported in a statement read on national television.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel explained on social media that his country's military personnel “were carrying out missions” in Caracas at “the request of counterpart bodies in that country,” without providing further details.

In Caracas, the government paid tribute to 32 “Cuban combatants” who claimed to have died during the military attack carried out in the early of Saturday.

In a statement released Sunday night on its Telegram account by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, the Venezuelan government asserted that the Cubans “gave their lives fulfilling their duty” and indicated that these personnel were performing “institutional protection and defense tasks” as part of “cooperation between sovereign states.”

Until now, various media outlets, both within Venezuela and abroad, cited unofficial reports from bodies of Venezuelan security officials reported up to 26 deaths during the simultaneous hours attacks that occurred in the early hours of January 3. Most of the dead belonged to the Presidential Security Battalion, according to press reports. Many analysts had pointed out that the inner circle of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's personal security was mainly composed of Cubans, something that Caracas and Havana had never confirmed. Trump confirms the death of “many Cubans.” For his part, US President Donald Trump confirmed this Sunday that “many on the other side” died in the operation to capture Maduro.including “many Cubans” who were protecting the president, who is being held to face drug trafficking and corruption charges.

Trump lamented the deaths and revealed that the security forces protecting Maduro suffered many casualties during the Delta Force operation.

“Many Cubans died yesterday protecting Maduro,” the president said en route to the White House from Florida aboard Air Force One.

Unofficial reports indicate 80 deaths

Venezuelan sources cited by the New York Times revealed that Venezuela suffered 80 deaths in the operation, while Washington officials have revealed that half a dozen US soldiers were wounded, although Trump declined to confirm the numbers.

Venezuelan authorities have not confirmed how many people died or were wounded during the bombings, but Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said that “a large part” of Maduro's security detail was killed. “in cold blood” and that they were “gathering” information regarding victims.

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