BREAKING: U.S. Closes embassy in Syria

[OKNancy]

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/06/breaking-u-s-closes-embassy-in-syria/

The State Department shuttered its embassy in Syria and pulled out its remaining staff Monday after the government refused to address its security concerns, senior State Department officials tell CNN.

The officials said 17 employees, including Ambassador Robert Ford, left the country. Two employees flew out of the Syria last week by commercial air, with the rest of them, including Ford, traveling by convoy Monday morning to Jordan. Most of the staff were evacuated earlier in the year, and the diplomatic team was further reduced in December.

The Syrians were notified about the decision to pull the staff and shutter the embassy after the employees were out of the country, the officials said.

The officials said the deterioration of the situation in the country made it impossible for the embassy to continue operations and for the staff to remain.

“The government is getting stretched beyond its ability to control the various elements of violence in the country,” one senior official said.

More at the link

[struggle4progress]

1. Locked as duplicate at OP request. Then unlocked at OP request after

other thread was self-deleted

[maddezmom]

2. thanks

[DUIC]

3. A necessary outcome

The UN's deliberate inaction was the writing on the wall.

[Loge23]

4. The next messs...

Between this, Egypt, and Iran something has to give.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Kick

I missed this when the AP showed at time of Feb 6, 1:27 PM (ET), I post in LBN onlu looking to posts after 10 AM on LBN.

Thanks for the original post. K&R!

OS

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Oh wait...oh never mind.