US closes Libyan embassy amid ongoing clashes
Print Edition
THE United States yesterday shut down its embassy in Libya and evacuated its diplomats to neighboring Tunisia under US military escort amid a significant deterioration in security in Tripoli as fighting intensified between rival militias, the State Department said.
“Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya,” spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
The withdrawal underscored the Obama administration’s concern about the heightened risk to US diplomats abroad, particularly in Libya where memories of the deadly 2012 attack on the mission in Benghazi are still vivid and the political uproar over it remain fresh.
“Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top department priorities,” Harf said.
“Regrettably, we had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions.”
The evacuation was accompanied by the release of a new State Department travel warning for Libya urging Americans not to go to the country and recommending that those already there leave immediately.
“The Libyan government has not been able to adequately build its military and police forces and improve security,” it said.
“Many military-grade weapons remain in the hands of private individuals, including antiaircraft weapons that may be used against civilian aviation.”
American personnel at the Tripoli embassy, which had already been operating with limited staff, left about dawn and traveled by road to Tunisia, Harf said.
As the evacuation was under way, residents of the city reported in real time on social media that US military aircraft flew overhead while US soldiers escorted a convoy of vehicles out of town.
The State Department would not confirm the evacuation until all staff were safely in Tunisia. It said embassy operations will be suspended until the security situation has improved.
Tripoli has been embroiled for weeks in inter-militia violence that has killed and wounded dozens on all sides. The fighting has been particularly intense at the city’s airport.
‘Challenging time’
“We are committed to supporting the Libyan people during this challenging time, and are exploring options for a permanent return to Tripoli as soon as the security situation on the ground improves,” Harf said.
The move marks the second time in a little more than three years that Washington has closed its embassy in Libya. In February 2011, it suspended operations amid the uprising that eventually toppled Moammar Gadhafi.
The Obama administration has been particularly sensitive about security of US government employees in Libya since the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi that killed ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
The mission was abandoned after the attack and never reopened.
The embassy in Tripoli has been operating with reduced staff since but has remained open even as the violence intensified.
The US is the latest country to close its diplomatic operations in Libya.
Turkey on Friday said that it had closed its embassy and militia clashes in Benghazi have prompted the United Nations, aid groups and foreign envoys to leave.
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