Cuban forces kill four from Florida-based speedboat
The Cuban government said Cuban forces on a Florida-based speedboat entered Cuban waters and opened fire on a local patrol, killing four people and wounding six others.
In the statement made by the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was stated that the injured were evacuated and received medical attention, and the Cuban patrol commander was also injured.
The highly unusual incident, which occurred on Wednesday local time, came amid tensions between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked nearly all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the communist-run government.
American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on January 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
Cuba said the speedboat came within 1.2 miles of a canal 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 identities of the dead or injured on the attacked ship were not determined, but Cuba said 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 in preserving the sovereignty and stability of the Cuban state in the region,” the Cuban statement said. The statement was included.
