At least 40 people, including military personnel and civilians, were killed in the United States strike on Venezuela early Saturday, The New York Times reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official who spoke on condition of anonymity, amid claims by Cuba that 32 of its officers were also killed in the operation.
Washington, DC carried out what it described as a 'large-scale strike against Venezuela', during which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country to face prosecution in the US on an indictment accusing them of participating in an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.
US President Donald Trump earlier told Fox News that the operation resulted in only a few injuries and no fatalities on the US side, calling it a complex manoeuvre and praising the professionalism of the American armed forces.
"There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side," Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The Cuban government on Sunday said that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed during the American operation.
According to a statement read on Cuban state television, the officers were in Venezuela as part of a mission requested by the Venezuelan government.
Cuba announced two days of mourning for those killed, while former president Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent condolences to their families.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said over the weekend that Cubans were deeply involved in Venezuela's internal security apparatus and were 'propping up Maduro', claiming that guards protecting the Venezuelan leader and the country's intelligence services were largely Cuban-run.
-- with inputs from agencies
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