15 Cuban diplomats expelled from US

WASHINGTON: The US is expelling 15 officials from the Cuban embassy in Washington because the government in Havana failed to protect American diplomats who have suffered mysterious “attacks” at their own embassy in Cuba, secretary of state Rex Tillerson said.

The State Department delivered a diplomatic note on Tuesday to the Cuban embassy in Washington ordering 15 listed Cubans to leave the US within seven days.

The US announced on Aug 29 that it was withdrawing more than half of its diplomatic staff and all family members from Havana in response to alleged attacks that have mysteriously affected the health of embassy personnel in the Cuban capital.

Another State Department official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday that 22 people from the embassy in Havana have now been affected.

The diplomats experienced unexplained health problems from attacks that occurred as recently as August, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping, the State Department said last month.

In Havana, Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said after the expulsion was announced that Washington is to blame for the regression in relations since the restoration of formal ties in 2015 between the two neighbours after more than half a century of estrangement.

“The government of the US, with these politically motivated and rash actions, is the party responsible for the current and probable future deterioration in bilateral relations,” Rodriguez Parilla said. – dpa