Cuban President Fidel Castro is recovering in a ``satisfactory and gradual'' way after undergoing surgery for intestinal bleeding, his brother Raul, who is acting leader of the island nation, said. Fidel Castro on July 31 handed power to Raul to allow him to recover from the operation, the first time he had ceded control of Cuba in 47 years. Since then, the ailing dictator appeared in photos published on his 80th birthday, on Aug. 13, and the following day. Video footage was released also. The professionalism of the doctors treating Castro ``has been a very important factor in the progressive recovery of Fidel,'' Raul said in an interview with the official Communist daily, Granma. ``His extraordinary physical and mental nature also has been essential for his satisfactory and gradual recovery.''
Since Castro's announcement that he was sick, the Cuban military has mobilized tens of thousands of reservists, in case the U.S. resorted to ``military aggression'' to oust the regime, Raul said.