Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee, The Associated Press 

 



WASHINGTON -- The United States is warning Americans against visiting Cuba and ordering more than half of U.S. personnel to leave the island, senior officials said Friday, in a dramatic response to what they described as "specific attacks" on diplomats. The US State Department is pulling out all families of employees and non-essential personnel from Cuba, after a string of mysterious sonic attacks against US diplomats, according to two US officials. “The motivation for the US government to issue today’s Travel Warning for Cuba is difficult to understand given that the facts and circumstances of these mysterious incidents have never posed a tangible threat to American visitors in Cuba.”

American Airlines and United Airlines, both of whom have applied for additional flights to Havana, said the travel warning would not affect their current operations to Cuba. In August, the State Department revealed that a number of U.S. diplomats in Cuba had been the target of what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described at the time as "health attacks" — but details have been sketchy at best. "Until the government of Cuba can assure the United States of the safety of U.S. government personnel in Cuba, our embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel so as to minimize the number of U.S. government personnel at risk of exposure," the official told reporters. The attacks have led to "hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, balance problems, visual complaints, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping," according to a senior State Department official. The statement reiterated "Cuba's willingness to continue an active cooperation between the authorities of the two countries, for the full clarification of these facts, for which a more efficient US involvement will be essential." “Cuban applicants for non-immigrant visas may apply at another US embassy or consulate overseas.”

The State Department said the attacks on US embassy personnel had occurred at “US diplomatic residences and hotels frequented by US citizens.” No tourists are known to have been injured in the attacks. The embassy in Havana will lose roughly 60 per cent of its U.S. staff, and will stop processing visas in Cuba indefinitely, the American officials said.
The U.S. State Department removes all families of employees and nonessential personnel from Cuba following apparent sonic attacks that injured 21 personnel on the island. Cuba denies any involvement and has authorized the FBI to travel to the island to help the ongoing investigation into the causes.