Senators Put Cuba 'Sonic Attacks' in Spotlight

Описание: (9 Jan 2018) Senate lawmakers questioned key U.S. State Department personnel Tuesday to try to get to the bottom of why U.S. embassy personnel in Cuba have reported hearing and other medical problems that some U.S. officials are attributing to "sonic attacks" in Havana.
"Based on what we know, and more importantly what we don't know, can you guarantee the safety of any personnel in Havana, currently stationed there or about to be deployed to Havana," asked Sen. Marco Rubio, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that convened the hearing.
"Senator, I don't think we can say categorically that we can guarantee that they would be safe from this," responded Todd Brown, the assistant director of diplomatic security at the State Department.
Earlier, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Associated Press that he's not convinced that what he calls the "deliberate attacks" are over.
He defended his September decision to order most U.S. personnel and their relatives to leave Cuba and said he won't reverse course until Cuba's government assures they'll be safe.
"The Cuban government may, or may not, be directly responsible for attacking our diplomats," said Sen. Robert Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee. "But as someone who has personally witnessed the modus operandi of the Cuban government, it is unfathomable that the Castro regime and the intelligence services specifically were not aware of these attacks."
Following months of investigation, an FBI interim report says its probe has uncovered no evidence that sound waves could have damaged the Americans' health, the AP has learned.
The report, dated Jan. 4, doesn't address other theories and says the FBI will keep investigating until it can show there's been no intentional harm.
The U.S. has said 24 government workers were harmed. Canada has reported some of its diplomats were affected, too.
In his testimony before the subcommittee, Dr. Charles Rosenfarb of the State Department's Bureau of Medical Services described the symptoms.
"Sharp localized ear pain, dull unilateral headache, tinnitus or ringing in one ear, vertigo, visual focusing issues, disorientation, nausea, and extreme fatigue," he said.
"In many of the patients, the acute symptoms seem to resolve within days to weeks, but other health issues emerge that were more persistent."

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