DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, <\/p>\n
Havana declares two days of mourning for the Cubans killed in US operation to abduct Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n
Cuba has announced the death of 32 \u2060of its \u200bcitizens during the United States military operation to abduct and detain<\/a> Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro<\/a> and his wife in Caracas.<\/p>\n Havana said on Sunday that there would be two days of mourning on \u200cJanuary 5 and \u200c6 in \u2060honour of those killed and that \u200cfuneral arrangements would be announced.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n The state-run Prensa Latina agency said the Cuban \u201cfighters\u201d were killed while \u201ccarrying out missions\u201d on behalf of the country\u2019s military, at the request of the Venezuelan government.<\/p>\n The agency said the slain Cubans \u201cfell in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of the facilities\u201d after offering \u201cfierce resistance\u201d.<\/p>\n Cuba is a close ally of Venezuela\u2019s government, and has sent military and police forces to assist in operations in the Latin American country for years.<\/p>\n Maduro and his wife have been flown to New York following the US operation to face prosecution on drug-related charges. The 63-year-old Venezuelan leader is due to appear in court on Monday.<\/p>\n He has previously denied criminal involvement.<\/p>\n Images of Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed<\/a> by US forces have stunned Venezuelans.<\/p>\n Venezuelan Minister of Defence General Vladimir Padrino said on state television that the US attack killed soldiers, civilians and a \u201clarge part\u201d of Maduro\u2019s security detail \u201cin cold blood\u201d.<\/p>\n Venezuela\u2019s armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.<\/p>\n \u2018A lot of Cubans\u2019 killed<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, said that \u201cthere was a lot of death on the other side\u201d during the raids.<\/p>\n He said that \u201ca lot of Cubans\u201d were killed and that there was \u201cno death on our side\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump went on to threaten<\/a> Colombian President Gustavo Petro, saying that a US military operation in the country sounded \u201cgood\u201d to him.<\/p>\n But he suggested that a US military intervention in Cuba is unlikely, because the island appears to be ready to fall on its own.<\/p>\n \u201cCuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like it\u2019s ready to fall. I don\u2019t know how they, if they can, hold that, but Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall. And you have a lot of great Cuban Americans that are going to be very happy about this.\u201d<\/p>\n The US attack on Venezuela marked the most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.<\/p>\n The Trump administration\u00a0has described Maduro\u2019s abduction as a law-enforcement mission to force him to face US criminal charges filed in 2020, including \u201cnarco-terrorism\u201d conspiracy.<\/p>\n But Trump also said that US oil companies needed \u201ctotal access<\/a>\u201d to the country\u2019s vast reserves and suggested that an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the US also factored into the decision to abduct Maduro.<\/p>\n While many Western nations oppose Maduro, there were many calls<\/a> for the US to respect international law, and questions arose over the legality of abducting a foreign head of state.<\/p>\n Left-leaning regional leaders, including those of Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Mexico, have largely denounced\u00a0Maduro\u2019s removal<\/a>, while countries with right-wing governments, from Argentina to Ecuador, have largely welcomed it.<\/p>\n The United Nations Security Council plans to meet on Monday to discuss the attack. Russia and China, both major backers of Venezuela, have criticised the US.<\/p>\n