Cuban forces kill four aboard Florida-based speedboat
Daniel Trotta
Havana: Cuban forces killed four people and injured six others aboard a Florida-based speedboat that entered Cuban waters and opened fire on a Cuban patrol on Wednesday, the Cuban government said, amid rising tensions with the United States.
The injured were evacuated and medical intervention began. The Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement that the Cuban patrol commander was also injured and that the matter was under investigation to clarify what exactly happened.
The highly unusual incident occurred amid tensions between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked nearly all oil shipments to the island and increased pressure on the communist-run government.
American forces capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro On January 3, an important ally of Cuba was removed from power in Caracas.
Cuba said the speedboat came within a nautical mile (1.8 kilometers) of a channel on Falcones Cay on Cuba’s north coast, about 200 kilometers east of Havana, when five members of the Cuban border patrol approached it.
The statement stated that the speedboat then opened fire, wounding the commander of the Cuban ship.
The identity of the dead or injured on the attacked ship was not determined, but Cuba said that the ship was registered in Florida with the number FL7726SH.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
“Faced with current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental basis for preserving the sovereignty and stability of the Cuban state in the region,” Cuba said in a statement.
More to come
Reuters
