The US government is actively investigating all instances of the so called "Havana syndrome" attacks on its foreign service personnel overseas and is introducing new technology to respond to and probe any future attacks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
"All of us in the US government, and especially we, the State Department, are intensely focused on getting to the bottom of what and who is causing these incident," Blinken said. "[N]ew technology is helping us more quickly and thoroughly evaluate a variety of potential causes of these incidents and we have distributed across posts so that we can respond rapidly to new reports."
Blinken said he has designated the Health Incident Response Task Force, responsible for supporting the US foreign service personnel affected by the anomalous health issues, to better help investigate the alleged attacks.
Career diplomat Jonathan Moore will serve as Coordinator of the Health Incident Response Task Force while Margaret Uyehara will be leading the Care Coordination Team. Moore served previously as Acting Director of the Office of Russian Affairs and Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs.
US diplomats were first diagnosed with the Havana syndrome in Cuba in 2016 and then in China in 2018. The diplomats said they experienced piercing sounds that have caused longer-term health effects. US diplomats in Russia, Tajikistan, Austria and in several African countries have also reported to have experienced Havana syndrome symptoms, including nausea and dizziness.
The US government initially blamed Russia for what it said were "acoustic attacks," but the allegations have been dismissed by Moscow as absurd. In July, CIA Director William Burns said Russia may be responsible for the incidents, but the US government lacks proof to have a final determination. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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