Thirty-two Cuban nationals were killed during the capture and transfer of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the Cuban government said on the 4th (local time).
According to Reuters, the Cuban government said all the dead were members of the Cuban military and intelligence services, and declared two days of mourning from the 5th to the 6th.
In a statement, the Cuban government said, "Our compatriots faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities for security and defense, carried out their mission with dignity and heroism, and, after fierce resistance, were killed in direct combat with the attackers or in facility bombings."
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and said, "It was Cubans who protected Maduro," adding, "He was not protected by Venezuelan bodyguards. His bodyguards were Cubans."
U.S. President Donald Trump also told reporters aboard his plane the same day, "There were many deaths on the other side yesterday, but there were none on our side. Unfortunately, there were many deaths on the other side," adding, "Several Cubans died yesterday while trying to protect him (Maduro)."
Citing a senior Venezuelan official, the New York Times (NYT) reported that deaths from the U.S. military strike totaled 80, including President Maduro's security personnel and civilians.