U.S. orders Cuba to remove diplomats

Move is meant to protest Havana’s failure to stop unexplained attacks

WASHINGTON— The United States expelled 15 of Cuba’s diplomats Tuesday to protest its failure to protect Americans from unexplained attacks in Havana, plunging diplomatic ties between the countries to levels unseen in years.

Only days ago, the U.S. and Cuba maintained dozens of diplomats in newly reopened embassies in Havana and Washington, powerful symbols of a warming relationship between longtime foes. Now, both countries are poised to cut their embassies by more than half, as invisible, unexplained attacks threaten delicate ties between the Cold War rivals.

The State Department gave Cuba’s ambassador a list of 15 names on Tuesday and ordered them out within one week, officials said, in a move that aims to “ensure equity” between each nation’s embassy staffing. Last week, the U.S. announced it was withdrawing 60 per cent of its own diplomats from Havana because they might be attacked and harmed if they stayed.

The dual moves marked a sharp escalation in the U.S. response to attacks that began nearly a year ago and yet remain unexplained despite harming at least 22 Americans — including a new victim identified this week.

Still, U.S. officials emphasized they were not accusing Cuba of either culpability or complicity, merely a failure to stop whatever is happening to Americans working out of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

Investigators continue exploring the possibility of a “sonic attack” harming diplomats through sound waves, but have discovered no device and identified no culprit.

Havana blasted the U.S. order, calling it “irresponsible” and “hasty.” In the Cuban capital, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called a news conference to again deny involvement and defend his country’s efforts to assist in the U.S. investigation.

The Canadian government has also said that an undisclosed number of its consular officials and their families in Havana were affected and that the source of their symptoms remains unknown.

An official speaking on background Tuesday said Ottawa has no plans to expel Cuban diplomats from Canada. Brianne Maxwell, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said in an email that Canada isn’t currently considering pulling its own staff out of Havana, either. With files from Alex Ballingall