Cuban defense chief, top aide to Raul Castro, dies

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Breitbart:

Cuban Defense Minister General Julio Casas Regueiro, the right-hand man of President Raul Castro, died of a heart attack in Havana, state media reported. He was 75.

Casas Regueiro, one of Cuba's most powerful men though his influence was wielded largely behind the scenes, is replaced under national regulations by his first deputy, General Leopoldo Cita Frias.

The defense chief -- who succeeded Raul Castro as head of the armed forces in 2008 when he became president -- fell "victim to cardiac arrest," and his body was cremated according to his wishes, the Communist Party politburo said in a statement read out on the state television news.

"He was known for his loyalty to the Party, to the people, to the Revolution, and to his commander-in-chief Raul Castro," the statement said.

"He made numerous contributions to strengthening (Cuba's) defense," the statement added.

A memorial for the defense chief, who also served as a vice president of communist Cuba's Council of State, was being held Saturday in Havana.

His ashes were then to be sent to a mausoleum in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in eastern Cuba for a ceremony with military honors, officials said.

Casas Regueiro was one of Cuba's five vice presidents, and had served on the Communist Party's policymaking politburo since 1991.

The armed forces were and are a critical pillar of Cuba's regime stability.
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This is an ex-defense minister...