WASHINGTON: The US State Department confirmed on Friday that 24 people have suffered health effects from “attacks” in Cuba earlier this year against diplomatic personnel and that an investigation is ongoing.

“We cant rule out additional new cases as medical professionals continue to ev­­aluate members of the em­­bassy community,” spo­kes­person Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Two more government wor­kers are confirmed victims in the unexplained Cuba attacks.

But State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the new victims “do not reflect new attacks.” She says the additional victims were confirmed following medical evaluations of workers attacked earlier in the year. Nauert says the most recent attack is still believed to have been near the end of August.

A US official said previously that attack occurred Aug 21. The official wasn’t authorised to disclose the exact date and requested anonymity.

The State Department says it can’t rule out “additional new cases.” The attacks sta­r­ted last year and affected American diplomats, intelligence officials and their spou­­ses in Havana.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...