File image.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry announced on February 25 that four men on a speedboat registered in the United States were shot and killed after being intercepted within its waters.
“A violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province,” the ministry said in a statement.
“When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel,” it added.
As a result of the confrontation four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured, according to the ministry, which noted that the injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance.
The identity of those on board the vessel or what it was doing in the area are unclear, with the ministry saying an investigation has been launched to “clarify” the event.
“In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,” the ministry concluded.
The incident came amid rising tensions between Cuba and the U.S. The country lost its main oil supply line last month when the U.S. President Donald Trump last month ordered the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the long-term leader of Cuban ally Venezuela. More than 30 Cuban troops who were guarding Maduro were killed in the special operation.
Trump vowed later to starve the communist-ruled nation of oil, going as far as threatening tariffs for any other country stepping in with crude supplies.
Earlier this month, a mysterious fire broke out at a key fuel refinery in the Cuban capital, Havana, right after the arrival of two Mexican navy ships with more than 800 tons of much-needed humanitarian aid.
The latest incident could lead to further escalation, especially if the people killed aboard the speed boat were American citizens.
The Trump administration could easily use the incident to tighten the embargo on Cuba — which started all the way back in 1962 —, or even to justify military intervention.
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