WASHINGTON: Cuba has hit out at allegations that mysterious sonic attacks made American diplomats ill in the country, dismissing them as “political manipulation” aimed at undermining relations.

At least 24 diplomats in Cuba suffered health problems from November 2016 to August 2017, in what US officials say may have been a result of attacks carried out with some kind of covert acoustic device.

Washington has not formally blamed Havana, but in mid-October Trump said that he holds Cuba responsible — and the White House has said it believes the country could bring the attacks to a halt. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said early Saturday it was “unacceptable and imm­oral” that any political differences between the two countries would translate into measures affecting their nationals.

“The so-called sonic attacks ... are totally false,” he said in a surprise appearance at a meeting of Cubans living in the United States, held in Washington.

He slammed the allegations as “political manipulation aimed at damaging bilateral relations.” Ties with Havana were only fully resto­red in 2015 after a half-century Cold War breakdown, but have been strained since President Donald Trump took office in January.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2017