US Plans Mass Withdrawal of Diplomats from Cuba

The United States is planning a mass withdrawal of its staff at its embassy in Cuba, an internal memo sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed.

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According to the memo, the staff are being sent home after reporting symptoms including hearing loss, nausea and headaches — symptoms the United States has described as “attacks.”

While the Trump administration confirmed they don’t believe the Cuban government is responsible for the “attacks,” other anonymous officials have claimed the injuries are due to a “sonic device,” potentially planted by Havana or Russia.

Cuba has responded by saying that they have “never perpetrated nor will (they) ever perpetrate attacks of any kind against diplomats."

“The Cuban government has never permitted nor will it ever permit the use of its territory by third parties for this purpose," their statement added.

Cuba has even allowed the FBI unprecedented access in the country to investigate as well.

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Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla also met with Tillerson earlier this week to discuss the issue.

Investigators are yet to find proof that the Cuban government was involved with the health issues reported by the embassy staff, said the minister.

The U.S. State Department has said there are 21 medically confirmed cases. The “incidents” are reported to have begun in late 2016.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would extend the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba for a year.

Trump also said in June that his administration would reverse the gains made by former President Barack Obama to normalize ties with Cuba.

Some of these reversals had included the reopening of the Cuban embassy in Washington for the first time in 50 years, as well as the formation of 26 agreements between U.S. businesses and the Cuban government.