Cuban forces and a US-registered vessel exchanged fire at sea,\nresulting in casualties.<\/p>\n
Cuban coast guard forces engaged in a shootout with a\nFlorida-registered speedboat, resulting in four deaths and six\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
The Cuban Ministry of Interior stated that the shootout occurred when\ntheir patrol boat approached the speedboat to identify those on board.\nHowever, Cuban authorities claim that the speedboat opened fire\nfirst.<\/p>\n
The Cuban embassy in the United States stated via social media that\nthe Florida-registered speedboat, FL7726SH, was detected in Cuban waters\non Wednesday, February 25, 2026. The vessel was reportedly located\napproximately one nautical mile from the El Pino canal in Cayo\nFalcones.<\/p>\n
As Cuban border patrol forces approached to request identification,\nthe crew of the speedboat allegedly opened fire on the Cuban personnel.\nThe commander of the Cuban Ministry of Interior\u2019s vessel was reportedly\ninjured in the shooting.<\/p>\n
Cuban forces returned fire, killing four people on board the\nUS-registered vessel and injuring six others.<\/p>\n
The injured were evacuated and received medical treatment. As of this\nreport, Cuban authorities have not released the identities or\nnationalities of the victims, nor have they provided further details\nabout the location of the incident other than it occurred in Cuban\nwaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination\nto protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national\ndefense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban state in safeguarding its\nsovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,\u201d the Cuban embassy in\nthe US stated.<\/p>\n
US Senator Marco Rubio stated that he had been briefed on the\nincident involving Cuban forces. Washington is now gathering information\nindependently to determine whether the victims were US citizens or legal\npermanent residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have various different elements of the US government that are\ntrying to identify the elements of the story that may not have been\nprovided to us at this time,\u201d Rubio told reporters at Basseterre\nAirport, St.\u00a0Kitts, as reported by Newsweek.<\/p>\n
He stated that he did not want to speculate on what actually\nhappened. According to him, the incident could involve \u201cvarious things,\u201d\nand the United States will not rely solely on information provided by\nCuban authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the facts that have been reported publicly have come from\ninformation provided by the Cuban side. We will verify it independently\nas we gather more information, and we will be prepared to respond\naccordingly,\u201d Rubio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have our own information about this. We will find out\nexactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubio also stated that he was aware of the shooting even before the\nCuban government posted about it on social media. He added that the US\nand Cuba maintain \u201cconstant contact\u201d at the coast guard level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, it is very unusual to see a shootout at sea like that. It\nis not something that happens every day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
US Vice President JD Vance stated that he had received a briefing\nfrom Rubio and that the White House is monitoring the situation.\nHowever, he declined to provide further details.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, it is not as bad as we fear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred amid strained diplomatic relations between\nWashington and Havana. US President Donald Trump has on several\noccasions expressed his desire to see a change in leadership in Cuba,\nwhile also opening the possibility of a deal with Havana regarding oil\nimports.<\/p>\n
For decades, the US has been vocal in its opposition to the Cuban\ngovernment, although diplomatic relations briefly improved during the\npresidency of Barack Obama with the reopening of embassies in both\ncountries.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cuban-forces-and-us-vessel-exchange-fire-at-sea-casualties-reported-1772098992", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }