Cuban border guards intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat in national territorial waters, leading to an armed confrontation, after disobedience to stop the illegal incursion.

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A Florida-registered speedboat, bearing the folio FL7726SH, was detected on February, 25 unlawfully navigating within Cuban territorial waters, an intrusion that prompted immediate action from Cuban authorities.

The vessel approached within 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, located in Falcones Key, in the Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.

A surface unit from the Border Guard Troops of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, comprised of 5 combatants, approached the infringing vessel to carry out identification protocols. However, upon their approach, individuals aboard the speedboat opened fire against the Cuban border guards.

The commander of the Cuban vessel was injured during the exchange of fire, highlighting the aggressive nature of the intrusion.

As a direct consequence of the confrontation, and as of the close of this report, four of the foreign aggressors were killed and six were injured, according the information afforded by an official statatement of Cuban Ministry of the Interior.

The injured individuals from the foreign vessel were subsequently evacuated and received medical assistance.

According to the first reports, the vessel did not obey when it was stopped in Cuban territorial waters. In this sense, Cuba reaffirmed its firm stance on defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty against all forms of external illicit incursions, on the basis of national and regional stability.

The Cuban authorities informed that the investigations about this case are continuing with the objective of clarifying this recent event.

From the Presidency of Cuba, they expressed through social network X: “Cuba ratifies its will to protect territorial waters, based on the fact that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in favor of protecting its sovereignty and stability in the region.”

The incident occurs in a context of growing tension between United States and Cuba, aggravated in recent weeks by the pressure measures pushed by Washington over Havana and in the day that the U.S. authorized the sale of oil and gas to the Caribbean country for private-sector companies and citizens under certain conditions.

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