The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has secretly established a Cuba task force to intensify pressure on the Cuban government and expand intelligence operations targeting the island, US media reported on Wednesday.
Citing people briefed on the initiative, the New York Times said the task force will enable the agency to quickly direct more financial, human and technical resources towards Cuba as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to push for economic, political and leadership changes in Havana.
According to the report, the task force has begun adding case officers, intelligence analysts, cyber specialists and officers focused on covert influence operations.
The report said the task force's mandate is to create divisions within Cuba's political elite in hopes of encouraging the replacement of officials viewed as anti-American with leaders more amenable to Trump's demands.
The CIA declined to comment, according to the newspaper.
During his second term, Trump has pursued a multipronged pressure campaign against Cuba. The campaign began with efforts to halt Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba, a major source of energy for the island nation. It has continued following the abduction of the former president Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
For months, the United States has blockaded the country's ports, depriving it of fuel imports. The blockade has triggered a severe energy crisis, resulting in widespread electricity cuts and disruption to everyday life.
Cuba is a one-party communist state that remains within the orbit of China and Russia. US-Cuba relations were strained during the Cold War, when the island nation served as a Soviet outpost just 90 kilometres from US shores.
Following Fidel Castro's takeover of the country, the Castro family ruled Cuba directly for almost six decades. His brother, Raul Castro, succeeded him and stepped down in 2018. While President Miguel Díaz-Canel has led the country since 2018, the Castro family continues to wield considerable influence over Cuban affairs.
