Havana – The capture by U.S. forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the killing in the operation of 32 Cubans assigned to protect him represent a major blow for the island’s revered intelligence services, experts say.
Fearful of betrayal by dissenters within Venezuela’s ranks, the leftist Maduro — like his late mentor Hugo Chavez — sourced his security detail in communist-ruled Cuba.
But the Cubans proved little match for the U.S. special forces sent by helicopter to snatch Maduro from a military compound after U.S. jets had pummeled Venezuela’s air defenses.
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