HAVANA — Cuba says that rappers who were targeted by a clandestine U.S. program are "victims" unknowingly swept into an effort to spark an anti-government youth movement.

In its first reaction to an Associated Press investigation published this week, the Cuban government described the U.S. Agency for International Development program as "treachery" that drew in rappers Los Aldeanos and other Cuban musicians.

Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas said Aldeanos lead singer Aldo Rodriguez had received backing from the Hermanos Saiz Association, a youth culture group with close government ties, and "I don't think he's lost that support."

"He, like all victims, needs to think," about the sources of his backing, Rojas told reporters on Friday when asked about the USAID story. "There's treachery in the way these organizations operate."