Cuba Removed from List of Countries Not Cooperating with Fighting Terrorism by US State Department

As far as the US government is concerned, Cuba is no longer a country that is "not cooperating fully" in its fight against terrorism, as the Caribbean country was recently removed from the terrorism list of the US State Department.

This was a result of the two countries resuming their law enforcement cooperation, which many see as a huge step forward in normalizing relations between the two countries. The State Department stated that the previous designation was deemed "no longer appropriate" because of this cooperation.

"The department determined that the circumstances for Cuba's certification as a 'not fully cooperating country' have changed from 2022 to 2023," a US State Department official told Reuters regarding taking Cuba off the terrorism list.

This is a massive shift in the Biden administration's policies as it had previously maintained Trump-era restrictions against Cuba. It was President Donald Trump who previously designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism just before he disgracefully left office, essentially undoing most of his predecessor, Barack Obama's gains in re-establishing diplomatic relations with the US's Caribbean neighbor.

"This move by the Biden Administration could well be a prelude to the State Department reviewing Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism," added William LeoGrande, a professor at Washington's American University.

However, the US State Department official noted that the state sponsor designation is determined by separate statutory, telling the outlet, "Any future review of Cuba's status would be based on the law and criteria established by Congress."

Cuba Reacts to US State Department Decision To Take It Off One Terrorism List

The US State Department has confirmed that the country is now working together with Cuba on counterterrorism and other efforts. However, for that "not fully cooperating country" terrorism list, the country has kept North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela.

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez soon released a statement on x acknowledging the decision but added that the US government could do more on the matter, per the Associated Press.

"The US has just admitted what is known to everyone: that #Cuba fully collaborates with the efforts against terrorism," tweeted the Cuban official. However, he added that "all political manipulation of the issue should cease and our arbitrary and unjust inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism should end."

Previous US Administration Tied Cuba to Terrorism and Was Criticized for It

Cuba was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the Trump administration in 2021. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that Cuba "repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting safe harbor to terrorists" without presenting any details.

He noted that the Trump administration was intent on "denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere."

However, this resulted in a lot of pushback from Cuba, which accused the Trump administration of Hypocrisy. Democrats also slammed Cuba, with politicians pointing out that there was no evidence of such activities from the Caribbean country.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Cubans Hail Removal From US Terrorism List - Associated Press