Cuban soldiers wearing white gloves marched out of a plane on Thursday carrying urns with the remains of the during a stunning U.S. attack on Venezuela as trumpets and drums played solemnly at Havana's airport.
Nearby, thousands of Cubans lined one of the Havana鈥檚 most iconic streets to await the bodies of colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains as the island remained under threat by the administration of .
The shoes of Cuban soldiers clacked as they marched stiff-legged into the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, next to Revolution Square, with the urns and placed them on a long table next to the pictures of those slain so people could pay their respects.
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Thursday鈥檚 mass funeral was only one of a handful that the Cuban government has organized in almost half a century.
Hours earlier, state television showed images of more than a dozen wounded people accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodr铆guez arriving Wednesday night from Venezuela. Some were in wheelchairs.
The official announcer indicated that they were 鈥渃ombatants鈥� who had been 鈥渨ounded鈥� in Venezuela. They were greeted by the Minister of the Interior, L谩zaro Alberto 脕lvarez, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, 脕lvaro L贸pez Miera.
Those injured and the bodies of those killed arrived as tensions grow between Cuba and U.S., with President Donald Trump recently demanding that the Caribbean country before it is 鈥渢oo late.鈥� He did not explain what kind of deal.
Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela's money and oil. Experts warn that the abrupt end of oil shipments could be catastrophic for Cuba, which is already struggling with serious blackouts and a crumbling power grid.
鈥楾hat will always unite us鈥�
Officials unfurled a massive flag at Havana's airport as President Miguel D铆az-Canel, clad in military garb as commander of Cuba's Armed Forces, stood silent next to former President Ra煤l Castro, with what appeared to be the relatives of those slain looking on nearby.
Cuban Interior Minister L谩zaro Alberto 脕lvarez Casa said Venezuela was not a distant land for those killed, but a 鈥渘atural extension of their homeland.鈥�
鈥淭he enemy speaks to an audience of high-precision operations, of troops, of elites, of supremacy,鈥� 脕lvarez said in apparent reference to the U.S. 鈥淲e, on the other hand, speak of faces, of families who have lost a father, a son, a husband, a brother.鈥�
脕lvarez called those slain 鈥渉eroes,鈥� saying that they were example of honor and 鈥渁 lesson for those who waver.鈥�
鈥淲e reaffirm that if this painful chapter of history has demonstrated anything, it is that imperialism may possess more sophisticated weapons; it may have immense material wealth; it may buy the minds of the wavering; but there is one thing it will never be able to buy: the dignity of the Cuban people,鈥� he said.
Thousands of Cubans lined a street where motorcycles and military vehicles thundered by with the remains of those killed.
鈥淭hey are people willing to defend their principles and values, and we must pay tribute to them,鈥� said Carmen G贸mez, a 58-year-old industrial designer, adding that she hopes no one invades given the ongoing threats.
When asked why she showed up despite the difficulties Cubans face, G贸mez replied, "It鈥檚 because of the sense of patriotism that Cubans have, and that will always unite us.鈥�
鈥楶eople are upset and hurt鈥�
Cuba of 32 military personnel 鈥� ranging in age from 26 to 60 鈥� who were part of the security detail of Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro on January 3. They included members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the island鈥檚 two security agencies.
Cuban and Venezuelan authorities have said that the uniformed personnel were part of protection agreements between the two countries.
Meanwhile, a demonstration was planned for Friday across from the U.S. Embassy in an open-air forum known as the Anti-Imperialist Tribune. Officials have said they expect the demonstration to be massive.
鈥淧eople are upset and hurt. There鈥檚 a lot of talk on social media; but many do believe that the dead are martyrs鈥� of a historic struggle against the United States, analyst and former diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press.
The first mass funeral in decades
In October 1976, then-President Fidel Castro led a massive demonstration to bid farewell to the 73 people killed in the bombing of a Cubana de Aviaci贸n civilian flight financed by anti-revolutionary leaders living in the U.S. Most of the victims were Cuban athletes returning to their island.
In December 1989, officials organized 鈥淥peration Tribute鈥� to honor the remains of more than 2,000 Cuban combatants who died in Angola during Cuba鈥檚 participation in the war that defeated the South African army and ended the apartheid system. In October 1997, memorial services were held following the arrival of the remains of guerrilla commander Ernesto 鈥淐he鈥� Guevara and six of his comrades, who died in 1967.
Cuba riled by US aid for hurricane recovery
A day before the remains of those slain arrived in Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced $3 million in relief aid to help the island recover from the , which struck in late October.
The first flight took off from Florida on Wednesday, and a second flight was scheduled for Friday. A commercial vessel also will deliver food and other supplies.
鈥淲e have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that this assistance reaches the Cuban people directly, without interference or diversion by the illegitimate regime,鈥� Rubio said, adding that the U.S. government was working with Cuba's Catholic Church.
The announcement riled Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodr铆guez.
鈥淭he U.S. government is exploiting what appears to be a humanitarian gesture for opportunistic and politically manipulative purposes,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淎s a matter of principle, Cuba does not oppose assistance from governments or organizations, provided it benefits the people and the needs of those affected are not used for political gain under the guise of humanitarian aid.鈥�
Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
