Arya News - The Cuban Interior Ministry has said in a statement that it reserves the right to ‘protect its territorial waters’.
Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior (MININT) has announced that its border patrol forces engaged in a shootout with a speedboat from the United States, killing four people.
In a statement published on social media, the Cuban government described the boat as having a license plate from the state of Florida, a peninsula roughly 145 kilometres, or 90 miles, from the island.
It also accused the speedboat of firing the first shot, precipitating an exchange of gunfire.
“The offending boat fire opened against Cuban troops, which caused the commander of the Cuban vessel to be injured,” the statement said.
“Four assailants were shot and six injured, who were evacuated and received medical assistance.”
It is so far unclear what activities the speedboat was engaged in, and the identities of those on board remain unknown.
But Wednesday’s incident is not the first time that the Cuban government has engaged in a gunfight after allegedly intercepting US boats entering its territory.
Still, the latest example could prove to be particularly contentious, given the heightened tensions over the last two months between the US and Cuba.
An investigation into Wednesday’s incident remains ongoing. The Interior Ministry added that Cuba will “protect its territorial waters” as a part of its efforts to ensure “sovereignty and stability in the region”.
That latest incident took place on Wednesday morning, offshore from the barrier island Cayo Falcones in the north-central Villa Clara province.
This is a breaking news story. More details to come.