U.S. to pull staffers out of Cuba

State Department contingent pared; travel not advised

WASHINGTON — The United States delivered an ominous warning to Americans on Friday to stay away from Cuba and ordered home more than half the U.S. diplomatic corps, acknowledging that neither the Cubans nor the FBI can figure out who or what is responsible for months of mysterious health ailments.

No longer tiptoeing around the issue, the Trump administration shifted to calling the episodes “attacks” rather than “incidents.”

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba will lose roughly 60 percent of its American staff and will stop processing visas for prospective Cuban travelers to the United States indefinitely, officials said. Roughly 50 Americans had been working at the embassy.

Though officials initially suspected some futuristic “sonic attack,” the picture is muddy. The FBI and other agencies that searched homes and hotels where incidents occurred found no devices.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who reviewed options for a response with Trump, said, “Until the government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of expo- sure to harm.”

At least 21 diplomats and family members have been affected in the attacks.

The department said symptoms include hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping.

Still, the administration has pointedly not blamed Cuba for perpetrating the attacks.

Canada, which also has reported diplomats with unexplained health problems, said it had no plans to change its diplomatic posture in Cuba.

The United States notified Cuba early Friday via its embassy in Washington.

Cuba blasted the American move as “hasty” and lamented that it was being taken without conclusive investigation results.

Still, Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s top diplomat for U.S. affairs, said her government was willing to continue cooperation with Washington “to fully clarify these incidents.” Her government took the rare step of inviting the FBI to the island after being presented with the allegations earlier this year.