US orders expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats

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A supporter waves a Cuban flag in front of the country’s embassy after it re-opened for the first time in 54 years July 20, 2015 in Washington, DC.

The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered the expulsion of 15 diplomats from Cuba’s embassy in Washington following last week’s U.S. move to pull more than half of its own diplomats out of Havana, a State Department official said.

The U.S. decisions were based on the Cuban governments’ failure to do enough to protect American personnel in Cuba who have been targeted in mysterious attacks that have damaged their health, the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Cuban diplomats have been given seven days to leave.

The steps being taken by President Donald Trumps administration mark a further blow to his predecessor Barack Obama’s policy of rapprochement between Washington and Havana, former Cold War foes.