A report by Archivo Cuba points to possible captures of Cuban military personnel after the fall of Maduro

A report published by the organization Archivo Cuba states that several of the Cuban military personnel in charge of the personal security of Nicolás Maduro were captured by U.S. forces after the operation of January 3, in which the Venezuelan dictator was arrested and taken out of the country.

The document, signed by the researcher and executive director of the NGO, María Werlau, questions the official toll of 32 Cubans killed acknowledged by Havana and suggests that this figure does not accurately reflect the real impact of the attack on the Cuban contingent deployed in Venezuela.

A contingent of at least 140 troops

According to the report, the dead and wounded Cubans were part of a group estimated at 140 troops, mainly belonging to the Directorate of Personal Security of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, with support from other divisions of the same agency and the Cuban Armed Forces.

These elements served not only in Maduro's immediate security detail, but also in other areas of the Tiuna Fortress and in facilities that were targeted by U.S. bombings.

Archivo Cuba gathers information from the Venezuelan journalist Casto Ocando, based in Miami, who maintains that the US forces had instructions to neutralize the Cubans in charge of preventing Maduro's capture, even by means of lethal use if necessary. According to these sources, some of these troops would have had orders to kill the president to prevent his arrest.

Indications of wounded and possible detainees

The report points out that the casualties recognized by Cuba do not coincide with the expected profile of the direct escort personnel, since many of the deceased were high-ranking intelligence officers of advanced age, suggesting that they were in other facilities and not directly protecting Maduro.

Archivo Cuba considers it probable that there were numerous wounded and possibly captured, who, according to unofficial sources, would have been transferred to the US naval base at Guantanamo for interrogation. However, the whereabouts of these military personnel has not yet been officially confirmed.

Some officers reportedly survived the attack. Among them is mentioned Lieutenant Colonel Euclides Bandera, of the Cuban Military Counterintelligence, who reportedly told relatives that he was saved because "he was not where he had to be." According to independent media, Bandera will continue to serve in Venezuela, with a salary of approximately US$6,000 per month.

An influence that persists

Beyond the events of January 3, the report warns that the Cuban regime's capacity for survival and interference should not be underestimated, describing it as a political and regional security risk with global implications.

Although the US operation exposed the vulnerability of a security system designed and supervised by Cuban intelligence, Havana's presence in Venezuela continues to be significant. Data cited by analyst Arturo Lopez-Levy estimates Cuban personnel in the country at some 20,000, including political advisors, doctors and other officials, in addition to between 5,000 and 6,000 military and intelligence agents. Archivo Cuba qualifies these figures, but considers that they cannot be ignored.