An American serviceman died last Sunday at the Guantanamo Naval Base under circumstances that are being investigated by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Cabo Santiago Llanes, of Hispanic origin, served as the administrative deputy chief in the Security Force Company of the Marine Corps in Guantánamo. He joined the Corps in 2022.
At this time, the nationality of the deceased soldier has not been disclosed, nor have other details regarding the circumstances in which he was found.
According to Stars and Stripes -a media outlet of the United States Department of Defense specializing in military issues- Lieutenant Colonel Rob Dolan explained that Llanes was found unconscious in his barracks and pronounced dead at the scene.
The soldier died "from wounds not caused by combat", according to the cited source.
"I can confirm that NCIS is conducting an investigation to determine the facts related to the death of Marine Corps Sergeant Santiago Llanes, as we do in response to any non-combatant deaths occurring without medical assistance of Department of the Navy service members," stated NCIS spokesperson Meredith March.
Transfer and ceremony in honor of the fallen
This Wednesday, the remains of Llanes were transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where a team from the Marine Corps took part in a dignified transfer ceremony, a solemn military act in honor of the fallen.
A photograph released by the authorities showed several soldiers carrying a coffin with the remains of Corporal Santiago Llanes on August 6.
The Guantanamo Naval Base is a U.S. military installation that has been active since 1903. In addition to serving as a strategic point for naval and security operations, it is internationally known for housing a high-security detention center since 2002.
It has been a source of diplomatic tensions with the Cuban regime for decades, yet it remains one of the most significant bases for the military deployment of the United States in the Caribbean.
In recent months, it gained notoriety again after housing undocumented migrants, many of whom have criminal records.
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