Due to Volatility in Syria, U.S. Urges American Citizens to Leave Immediately
On Thursday, the State Department of the United States urged American citizens to leave Syria immediately. The reasoning behind the decision is the “ongoing uncertainty and volatility” in the Arab state. The updated travel warning stated that any United States citizen that is not in Syria at this time should not travel there.
One of the things that the State Department wanted to remind Americans is that the demonstrations in Syria – even those that are intended to be peaceful – can become confrontational, violent, and even deadly. Areas of protests and demonstrations should be avoided at all costs. The State Department also told citizens to be extremely careful if they are even within the area around a demonstration.
All eligible family members were urged to leave the country back at the end of April. Certain non-emergency personnel were also told to make the exit from the Syria quickly. For the last six months, Syria has been embroiled in protests, demonstrations, and vigils that have often turned deadly. Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, as been called upon to step down, as Syrian security forces have been accused of killing unarmed civilians and protestors.
Last month, President Assad said that steps would be taken to end the violence; however, there has not been a significant decrease in the violence. Many of the protests are calls for President Assad to step down as well, but others protests address citizens’ rights. It is estimated that more than 2,200 protestors have been killed since the unrest started.
Sanctions have been levied against Syria, including those by the United States against the gas and oil industry. The government’s assets have been frozen. The EU banned the import of oil from Syria, which the conglomeration of European countries hopes will limit the cash flow into the country that President Assad has been using to fund his security forces.
