The U.S. Department of State has ordered a further reduction of its diplomatic personnel in Damascus citing security reasons in light of the ongoing violence in Syria.
“This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated December 21, 2011, and is being updated to reflect that on January 11, 2012, the Department of State has ordered a further reduction in staffing of the U.S. Embassy in Syria,” the department said in a statement.
Last December the United States has already slashed the number of its diplomats in Syria after supporters of President Bashar al-Assad attacked the Embassy in Damascus in September. Syrian law enforcers have not guarded the U.S. diplomatic mission since last October.
“Due to security concerns in Syria, in October 2011, the embassy was designated an unaccompanied post with restricted staffing. The Department has decided to further reduce the number of employees present in Damascus, and has ordered a number of employees to depart Syria as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The department has once again called on all U.S. citizens to immediately leave the country adding that the number of commercial flights from Syria has been greatly reduced since last summer.
“The U.S. Department of State urges U.S. citizens currently in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available. The number of airlines serving Syria has decreased significantly since the summer months, and many of the remaining airlines have reduced their number of flights,” the statement added.
According to UN data, Assad's crackdown on the protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world last year, has killed more than 5,000 people. Syrian authorities blame armed gangs for the violence, which erupted in last March, and say 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.
