US to tell Cuba to withdraw diplomats after bizarre sonic 'attacks' on Americans in Havana

The US embassy in Havana. File photo.
AP
Eleanor Rose3 October 2017

The US and Cuba are poised to cut their embassies by more than half after bizarre sonic "attacks" on US diplomats in Havana.

The Trump administration will tell Cuba on Tuesday to withdraw 60 percent of its diplomats from Washington, American officials said.

The withdrawal follows the US's move last week to cut its own embassy staff in Havana by the same proportion.

Officials told reporters on Tuesday that the number of victims of mysterious sonic "attacks", thought to cause mild brain injury and hearing loss, has climbed to 22.

Medical officials had previously said the total was 21 victims. It was not immediately clear when the most recently discovered victim was attacked.

The attacks began shortly after President Donald Trump's election 
AP

The US request to Cuba to withdraw diplomats marks a major setback for relations between the two neighbours, less than three years after they renewed diplomatic relations.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson discussed the plan Monday with President Donald Trump. The State Department was expected to formally announce the decision Tuesday, officials said, though they cautioned no decision was formalised until publicly announced. The officials were not authorised to discuss the plan publicly and requested anonymity.

The US will formally tell Cuba to pull the diplomats, but will not expel them forcibly unless Havana refuses, the officials said. Cuba's Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

President Raul Castro's government denies involvement in the attacks, and is likely to view the move as unwarranted retaliation. US officials meanwhile said the goal wasn't to punish the communist-run island, but to ensure both countries have a similar number of diplomats in each other's capitals.

On Monday, it was revealed that American spies were among the first and most severely affected victims.

Though diplomats have also been affected, it wasn't until intelligence operatives, working under diplomatic cover, reported bizarre sounds and even stranger physical effects that the United States realised something was wrong, several individuals familiar with the situation said.

The mysterious "health attacks" started within days of President Donald Trump's election in November. But it wasn't until last Friday that the US ordered more than half its embassy staff to return home.

The US last week also delivered an ominous warning to Americans to stay away from Cuba, a move that could have profound implications for the island's travel industry. It said that since some workers had been attacked in Havana hotels, it could not assure Americans who visit Cuba that they wouldn't suffer attacks.

"Because our personnel's safety is at risk, and we are unable to identify the source of the attacks, we believe US citizens may also be at risk and warn them not to travel to Cuba," the United States said in a formal travel warning. Cuba called the warning "hasty".

To medical investigators' dismay, symptoms have varied widely. In addition to hearing loss and concussions, some people have experienced nausea, headaches and ear-ringing.

According to officials, the incidents stopped for a period but began again as recently as late August.

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