The United States has closed its embassy in Syria because of the increasing level of violence. The bloodshed in the country has reached a level that the U.S. says is simply unacceptable. There were only a few staff members left at the embassy, as most were pulled out in January. The U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford was one of the people who were quietly taken out of Syria. Some of the people were denied exit visas, but eventually all were able to leave.
There were only 17 people remaining after the embassy staff was reduced in January. Some left from Syria’s airport, while others went to Jordan. There have been other Western countries that have closed their embassies in Syria because of the increasing violence. U.S. officials are in talks with Poland to act as a protecting power for American interests while the embassy is shuttered.
Last month, U.S. President Barak Obama requested that Syria increase security around its embassy, as well as around American diplomats. The U.S. Embassy is located in Damascus and it’s at a very busy intersection. U.S. officials said that they believed the embassy could be targeted by al Qaeda. The terrorist group is believed to be responsible for several car bombings in Damascus in the last few weeks. U.S. officials had requested that the Syrian government close the street that the embassy is located on, but all requests, including those for additional security, were denied.
Britain has temporarily closed its embassy after it was attacked in January. According to the embassy’s website, all appointments have been cancelled and any new appointments must be made in Amman, Jordan. The site also says that this will continue until the Syrian authorities correct the lack of security around the embassy. The violence in Syria continues to increase, even as the United Nations Security Council was unable to pass a resolution for President Assad to step down.
