Some mysteries go unsolved, but who perpetrated the inhumane “brain attacks” in 2016 on 1,500 American diplomats stationed in Cuba and other parts of the world shouldn’t be one of them.
It’s hard to fathom that all these years after Americans were beset with headaches, dizziness, tinnitus and other symptoms, some of them permanent, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that the diplomats were unlikely to have been victims of attacks by a foreign enemy.
It’s a wholly unsatisfying conclusion that seems to say we are no closer to being able to hold some bad actor accountable for the harm caused.
This week, after seven years and numerous investigations by different agencies — described as a “historic” effort — the U.S. intelligence community concluded that the complaints from U.S. personnel around the world since 2016 consistent with brain injuries or neurological illnesses were unlikely caused by covert acts of foreign adversaries. However, they don’t know anything about who did it.
Seven intelligence agencies unanimously concluded that it was either unlikely or very unlikely that a foreign actor was responsible. And they now described the medical conditions caused as “anomalous health incidents.”
Really? Excuse us if we say, excuse us.So the U.S. government is saying there was nothing nefarious here. So it’s all in the heads of the diplomats and their families?
The probe began because U.S. personnel in Cuba first reported nausea, intense head pressure and other symptoms. Some said they heard buzzing sounds in their homes or offices.
When first made public, it all sounded like a superpower with a super new weapon to stealthily debilitate people from afar.
Now, the intelligence community assessment, published on Wednesday, found evidence “consistently against” the involvement of foreign powers, the Miami Herald reported.
But while the agencies all but ruled out foreign actors, they stopped short of concluding what actually caused the symptoms or determining if the cases were even linked. “I think we have more confidence in what didn’t happen than what did,” one intelligence official said.
Diplomats affected should be livid. Miami Republican Sen. Marco Rubio certainly is not buying this explanation and we agree with him.
Hours after the intelligence community report was revealed, Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a statement “rejecting” the findings.
So they don’t know the source but feel free to say that foreign agents are not to blame.
Is the Biden administration avoiding a solid finger at suspects like Cuba, Russia and China?
Rubio said just because intelligence agencies cannot conclusively link the associated “Havana syndrome” to any cutting-edge weapon possessed by foreign agents, that doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility.
“Something happened here and just because you don’t have all the answers doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. I will not accept that all these reported cases are just coincidences, and I will continue to work on this issue until we receive real explanations,” Rubio said after the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
Rubio, a staunch critic of Cuba and all communist countries, said that his panel would continue its independent review of “Havana syndrome” reports and take steps to ensure that foreign service officers who have been affected receive comprehensive care. In 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to compensate victims of the attacks.
We commend Rubio for not allowing these reprehensible attacks on U.S. personnel abroad to be swept under the rug.