Shadow war: Cuba says armed US-registered speedboat part of ‘planned infiltration’

The coast guard in Cuba have exchanged fire with what they say was a US infiltration force on 25 February. The shoot-out off the island’s north coast killed four and wounded six aboard the US-linked vessel. Survivors were arrested.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an avid Cuba hawk, has been cautious in his comments so far. And the Cuban authorities maintain those on the speedboat fired first. Now the Cubans said those aboard planned:

an infiltration with terrorist aims.

A coast guard commander was also wounded. The BBC reported:

The Cuban authorities said they had established that all 10 of those on board the speedboat were Cuban nationals residing in the US.

They also identified an 11th person they said had been arrested and had confessed to being part of the alleged plot.

The Cuban authorities claims those captured had:

prior records involving criminal and violent activity.

The BBC said:

Handguns, assault rifles and improvised explosive devices were recovered from the speedboat, along with other tactical gear, according to the statement.

BBC Verify said it had been unable to pinpoint the ownership of the boat.

Cuba: Bay of Pigs 2.0?

The incident will recall the failed 1961 US invasion attempt in the Bay of Pigs. The US is currently sanctioning Cuba even more aggressively than usual in a bid to unseat the government. The situation is so dire that Mexico is shipping humanitarian aid into the island nation.

President Donald Trump is determined to reshape the hemisphere, by force where necessary. Case in point, the US attack of Venezuela in January, and subsequent kidnapping its president.

Marco Rubio, the hard-right scion of Cuban migrants, is know for his rabid views on the Cuban regime. But he seemed reserved in his public comments. Rubio, who is in the Caribbean for international talks, said he was waiting for verifications:

Rubio was less reserved in the hours after the 3 January bombing and special forces raid on Venezuela.

He told reporters then that Cuba was:

run by incompetent, senile men, and in some cases not seen now, but incompetent nonetheless.

Rubio said:

In some cases, one of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba.

Adding:

They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint. So, yeah, look, if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit.

There is no doubt the US wants Cuba – once part of the US empire – back under its control. And American covert actions are hardly a rarity in Latin America. A similar-sounding operation was mounted against Venezuela in 2020. It also failed. Two former US special operations soldiers were among those jailed. Details are hazy, but the playbook seems eerily familiar.

Featured image via the Canary