Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has recalled the U.S. bombings of three airports on the island prior to the invasion of Playa Girón, or the Bay of Pigs.
On the 61st anniversary of the historic events, the president shared on his Twitter account an article published in Granma newspaper, which ratifies that in the face of the cowardice of the mercenaries, backed by the U.S. government, the heroism of the people of the island was demonstrated.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero also evoked the date in his profile on the digital platform and emphasized that Cuba rejects any attempt to take away its sovereignty.
On April 15, 1961, B-26 bombers, painted with the Cuban insignia, attacked three Cuban air terminals, trying to destroy its scarce and antiquated air force. The events were the prelude to the invasion of the Bay of Pigs -- known as Playa Giron in Cuba -- located in the western province of Matanzas. The full-scale invasion would take place two days later by an armed brigade, trained and transported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
After 60 hours of hard fighting, the mercenaries surrendered at dawn on April 19, 1991 at Playa Giron, in what became the first great defeat of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.