US cuts defense ties with Cuba over 'non-cooperation' after harboring terror fugitives

The U.S. State Department has determined and certified Cuba arsenic a "not afloat cooperating country" (NFCC) for not helping with counterterrorism efforts aft the land federation failed to crook implicit astatine slightest 11 fugitives successful 2024 to U.S. custody.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce made the announcement connected Tuesday that the certification, which falls nether Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act, volition effect successful the prohibition connected the merchantability oregon licence for export of defence services to Cuba.

"In 2024, the Cuban authorities did not afloat cooperate with the United States connected counterterrorism," Bruce said successful a statement. "There were astatine slightest 11 U.S. fugitives from justness successful Cuba, including respective facing terrorism-related charges, and the Cuban authorities made wide it was not consenting to sermon their instrumentality to look justness successful our nation."

"The Cuban regime’s refusal to prosecute connected this important issue, arsenic good arsenic different caller circumstances of non-cooperation connected terrorism-related instrumentality enforcement matters, made efforts to cooperate connected counterterrorism issues futile successful 2024," she continued.

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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio not lone certified Cuba arsenic an NFCC, helium besides re-certified Iran, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea arsenic NFCCs.

In January, the Biden medication lifted Cuba's designation arsenic a authorities sponsor of terrorism, reversing a determination made by the Trump medication successful 2021.

Former President Joe Biden said astatine the clip that the Cuban authorities "has not provided immoderate enactment for planetary coercion during the preceding six-month period" arsenic good arsenic "provided assurances that it volition not enactment acts of planetary coercion successful the future."

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President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Cuba was fixed the designation successful January 2021, soon earlier Biden took office. At the time, the U.S. Embassy successful Cuba accused the state of "repeatedly providing enactment for acts of planetary coercion successful granting harmless harbor to terrorists."

The designation returned the Caribbean federation to a database that it was connected from the Reagan medication to that of erstwhile President Barack Obama. In 2016, Obama became the archetypal U.S. president to sojourn Cuba since 1928.

WHITE HOUSE REMOVES CUBA'S STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM DESIGNATION, REVERSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVE

Then-President Barack Obama and then-Cuban President Raul Castro clasp a associated property league successful Havana connected March 21, 2016. (The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)

The Obama medication attempted to normalize relations successful 2015 but encountered absorption from President Donald Trump, whose medication precocious argued that Cuba has failed to cooperate connected counterterrorism.

State Department officials said Cuba refused to extradite 10 suspects wanted successful Colombia for a constabulary academy bombing that killed 22 radical and injured dozens more. 

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Authorities besides accused Cuba of harboring aggregate American fugitives, including Joanne Chesimard, besides known arsenic Assata Shakur. She was convicted of sidesplitting New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster successful 1973.

In the summertime of 2017, Trump imposed question and fiscal restrictions connected Cuba portion blasting arsenic "one-sided" Obama's 2016 woody with the regime.

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.