A Cuban military officer residing in the United States reacted strongly to the recent shooting in Cuban territorial waters that resulted in the deaths of four civilians, condemning those in charge of the regime on the island as cowards.
In a video shared on social media, the man identified by the last name Ávila and originally from Holguín stated that he felt the obligation to express "what I have inside" and clarified that what he would say would be a personal opinion and not on behalf of any U.S. military institution.
Ávila stated that he had observed posts on social media from regime defenders celebrating the shooting down of the four civilians aboard the boat registered in Florida and criticized that stance.
"They are bragging because they took down four civilians," he said, and he believed that such pride reflects not strength but cowardice.
He recalled that for decades the Cuban regime was unable to confront a powerful military force when historical opportunities arose, mentioning, for example, that they did not fire on American ships or planes operating near their coasts or military bases like Guantánamo, according to his account.
For Ávila, this demonstrates that “they are not capable of going to take a shot” when it comes to confronting forces that would indeed respond.
The incident referred to by Ávila occurred this Wednesday, when Cuban forces exchanged fire with a speedboat registered in Florida, which, according to island authorities, did not obey orders to stop and opened fire first in Cuban territorial waters, resulting in four deaths and six injuries among the civilian occupants, according to official reports.
The statement from the Cuban military in the United States adds to the multiple reactions generated by the event, amidst a climate of tension between Washington and Havana following the maritime incident and the investigations announced by authorities from both countries.
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