How Cuba was blindsided by the operation to capture Maduro

A member of '3 Raices,' a pro-government group known as 'Colectivos,' stands guard with an assault rifle at the organization's headquarters in the working-class neighborhood of 23 de Enero, in Caracas on January 7, 2026. [AFP]

The capture by US 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.