MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) – The United States temporary closed its embassy in Libya and evacuated the staff due to the increasing tensions in the country, AP reported Saturday citing the US State Department statement.
«Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the immediate vicinity of the US Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya," US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf was quoted as saying.
According to the statement, the staff was relocated to the neighboring Tunisia. The Libyan embassy will resume its work when security situation in the country improves.
Clashes between different military groups intensified in Tripoli in the recent weeks. The most violent fighting occurred near the city’s airport. Dozens of people were killed in the clashes.
The United States supported the ouster of the long-standing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi back in 2011, after which the country ended on the brink of the civil war. A large number of armed groups continue to operate on its territory. In some regions of Libya, the weapon supplies and fighting capabilities of the militants surpass by far the resources of local police.
In September 2012 the US embassy in Benghazi was attacked by the militants, leaving the envoy and three other employees dead.
