Possible Havana Syndrome delays Kamala Harris’ Southeast Asia tour | international

Kamala Harris’ flight to Southeast Asia was delayed by hours on Tuesday, which authorities believe may be the case Havana SyndromeIt is a strange disease that diplomats and US intelligence have suffered since 2016. Harris, who started the journey on Friday, was scheduled to take off from Singapore at 4:00 pm (local time) bound for Vietnam. But the journalists who accompanied her were taken back to the convoy hotel as they were on their way to the airport. Air Force One, carrying Harris, took off from Paya Lebar Air Base just after 7:00 p.m. The White House did not disclose the victims of the so-called sonic attack, but it was ruled out that they were part of the accompanying group or that they were employees of Harris’ office.

The silence of the vice president’s entourage indicates that the delay was due to a health issue for Harris herself, 56. But the State Department allayed doubts with a brief statement that confirmed that the vice president had been informed of a “report of a possible abnormal health incident in Hanoi”. However, Harris decided to continue his official visit to Vietnam after hearing the news. Hanoi is an important enclave for the vice president, who is seeking to bolster Washington’s allies in the Joe Biden government’s battle to counter China’s growing influence.

The State Department briefing did not identify the victim of the alleged attack. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said an intelligence assessment gave Harris the green light to proceed with his tour, his second since Democrats came to power in late January. Psaki ruled out that the victim was from the courtiers and that Harris had not had contact with the person who had symptoms, describing them as severe headache, nausea, hearing a sharp voice and pressure inside the head. authorities, points out Washington PostIt is reported that the Hanoi Commission has reported two cases unrelated to Havana Syndrome Throughout the past week.

The Biden administration decided to take seriously these mysterious diseases that recently affected US officials in Germany, Austria, Russia and China, as well as Cuba, the country. Where the attacks were first recordedduring the presidency of Donald Trump. William Burns, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, admitted in late July that from his first day in office he began interviewing victims of these “incidents”. The official, a career diplomat, visited Walter Reed Military Hospital, where he treats patients, and pledged to triple the medical staff caring for CIA victims to cut waiting time for treatment from eight weeks.

During his five months in office, Burns spent a great deal of time understanding these attacks that affected “a few hundred in the United States government and around the world.” Half of them have harmed officials from the CIA’s extensive intelligence network or their families, Burns told Public Radio in his first public interview. To try to get to the heart of the matter, the director created a task force to investigate who was behind the attacks. The group is led by a counter-terrorism veteran who was part of the hunt for Osama bin Laden 10 years ago.

President Biden’s determination seeks to correct Washington’s inaction after the 2016 attacks. A report declassified in 2018 criticized the Trump administration, which cut the number of consular staff in the Cuban capital by 60% without having evidence that Castro was behind the attacks. Among its conclusions, the document criticized former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for not launching an investigation after the initial victims’ complaint. Five years later, these strange attacks are still shrouded in mystery.

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