National Tribute to Cuban Combatants Victims of US Attack

The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Raúl Castro, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel, today led the first posthumous tribute to the 32 combatants who fell during the US military aggression against Venezuela.

Also present at the tribute were the relatives of the deceased, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba, and high-ranking civilian and military authorities of the Caribbean country.

In a solemn military ceremony, the mortal remains of the heroes were received. They were part of an internationalist mission responding to a request from their counterpart organizations in the Bolivarian nation.

During the event, Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez, stated that "death does not defeat those who fall with a rifle in their hand defending a just cause," and emphasized that the combatants "do not return as shadows; on the contrary, they are a new light that strengthens, inspires, and commits us."

He recalled that the combatants died in the early hours of January 3rd "when the aggression and treacherous attack darkened Venezuela," and highlighted that they were there "faithful to Fidel, to Raúl, to the Party, and to the legacy of internationalism that has marked every stage of the Cuban Revolution."

"Venezuela was not a distant land for them; it was the natural extension of the homeland, just as it was for our founding fathers. There, Bolívar and Martí, Chávez and Fidel, are intertwined," he emphasized.

Álvarez reaffirmed that "Cuba does not abandon its children, Cuba does not renounce its principles, Cuba does not surrender, even if defending dignity requires paying a high and painful price," and proclaimed that "on Cuban soil, there will never be room for cowardice and betrayal."

He added that the combatants, "when they crossed sea and sky to fulfill their mission, knew that not returning was a possibility, but they were firmly convinced they would never betray this people who, following the example of their heroes, learned to share their fate with others."

After the ceremony, the remains of the combatants were transported on caissons along Rancho Boyeros Avenue to the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), located next to the Plaza de la Revolución, where the people will be able to pay tribute to them.

Starting at 10:00 (local time), the public will enter the Ministry's facilities to express their grief before the coffins, which will remain on public view until the end of the day.

The previous day, a group of Cuban combatants wounded in the same attack arrived in Havana, accompanied by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

Authorities reiterated that the 32 deceased, aged between 26 and 60, died in defense of Venezuelan sovereignty and internationalist solidarity.

Tomorrow, Friday, the people will pay homage at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune and in all provinces, prior to their interment in the Pantheons of Those Fallen for the Defense.