Cuba Repatriates 32 Officers Killed in U.S. Strike in Venezuela; Photo Gallery From Latin America (Jan. 9–15, 2026)

Jan 16•2 min read

FILE - People line up in a rain shower to pay their final respects to Cuban officers who were killed in the U.S. operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro, in Havana, Cuba, Jan. 15, 2026 . (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The remains of 32 Cuban officers killed during a U.S. strike in Venezuela were repatriated after a Jan. 3 raid on President Nicolás Maduro's residence that aimed to detain him for U.S. drug-trafficking charges. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state-of-the-union address to urge more foreign investment in Venezuela's state-run oil sector. The developments come amid a U.S. pledge to assert control over Venezuelan crude sales. The images were compiled into a photo gallery curated by Guatemala City–based photojournalist Moises Castillo.

The remains of 32 Cuban officers killed during a U.S. strike in Venezuela were returned to Cuba following a deadly Jan. 3 raid on the residence of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The officers were serving on Maduro's security detail when they died during the operation, which sought to seize Maduro and extradite him to the United States on drug-trafficking charges.

Repatriation and Context

Cuban authorities received the remains of the officers in a formal repatriation. Venezuelan and Cuban officials have framed the return as a solemn moment for families and military institutions. The Jan. 3 operation, which resulted in the fatalities, has further heightened tensions between the Venezuelan government and U.S. authorities.

Political Fallout

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state-of-the-union address to call for opening the country’s state-run oil industry to increased foreign investment. Her remarks came after the Trump administration pledged to move to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales, a step that could reshape geopolitical and economic relationships in the region.

Photo Coverage

This photo gallery—covering top images from across Latin America and the Caribbean for Jan. 9–15, 2026—was curated by Guatemala City–based photojournalist Moises Castillo. The gallery provides visual context to the repatriation and the broader political developments in Venezuela.

Credits: AP Photography — https://apnews.com/photography
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/apnews

FILE - Workers at the presidential palace iron a tablecloth before the start of a press conference by Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz and Ilan Goldfajn, the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Members of the Sanchez family work at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Kelly Cristina da Cruz cools off in a public shower in the Rocinha favela amid a heat wave in Rio de Janeiro, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A calf is ringed by cattle in a pen at the Agricultural and Livestock Market in Canuelas, Argentina, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Residents play dominoes in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A man wearing necklaces and a padlock as an earring walks through Havana, Cuba, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramón Espinosa, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A protester holds a defaced poster of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Iran's embassy in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)