U.S. President Barack Obama extends his hand to Cuban President Raul Castro at the start of their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Fiscal Times: Are Cuban Troops Backing Up Putin and Assad in Syria?
The armed conflict in Syria has become more complex in recent weeks, with Russia launching waves of air strikes against rebel forces, some backed by the U.S. Various rebel groups have fought government forces and each other, as the Turkish military watches nervously on the northern border. And now there may be a new player on the battlefield: Cuba.
Earlier this week, Fox News reported that Cuban military personnel are in Syria to advise the government’s soldiers and assist Russian forces.
The report cites information received by the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies that shows the chief of Cuba’s Armed Forces recently visited Syria with the idea of striking a military alliance, a claim backed by an unnamed U.S. official.
The report set off alarm bells throughout the conservative media, with additional reports claiming, among other things, that Havana has thousands of soldiers in Syria serving in tank crews.
The White House flatly rejected the notion that the Cuban military is in Syria.
Update #1: Cuba Is Intervening in Syria to Help Russia. It’s Not the First Time Havana’s Assisted Moscow. -- Daily Beast
Update #2: Cuban Proxies Fighting Russia's War In Syria? What Did Putin Offer In Return? -- IBD Investor.com editorial
WNU Editor: The White House has denied these reports, and so has the Cuban government .... Cuba denies it has sent troops to Syria to help Assad (Reuters). What's my take .... too early to tell if the reports are true, but reports continue to persist that there are 2,000 Cuban soldiers in Syria .... 2,000 Cuban soldiers are in Syria to drive Russian T-90 tanks for fighting Isis, say reports (IBTimes)