The U.S. embassy in Libya Saturday was evacuated for the second time since the effort to topple Muammar Qaddafi and institute a new government began, and the diplomats ordered to neighboring Tunisia under U.S. military escort. The State Department said the “ongoing” conflict between rival militias has undermined security in Tripoli.
“Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya,” spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
Libya was the location of the deadly 2012 Benghazi terror attack that resulted in the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods and Sean Smith. A select committee was established in the House of Representatives, which is headed-up by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), to investigate the lack of security prior to the attack and the subsequent cover up.
“Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top department priorities, and we did not make this decision lightly,” Harf said. “Security has to come first. Regrettably, we had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions.”
American personnel at the Tripoli embassy, which had already been operating with limited staffing, left the capital around dawn and traveled by road to neighboring Tunisia, according to Harf.
“At the request of the Department of State, the U.S. military assisted in the relocation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli,” a spokesman from the U.S. Department of Defense said.
“During movement, F-16’s, ISR assets and an Airborne Response Force with MV-22 Ospreys provided security,” the statement said.
As the evacuation was under way, residents of the city reported in real time on social media that American military aircraft flew overhead while U.S. soldiers escorted a convoy of vehicles out of town. The Department of Defense said the mission was conducted without incident and lasted approximately five hours.
The State Department said embassy operations will remain closed until the security situation improves. The Benghazi mission was abandoned after that Benghazi terror attack and was never reopened. Whether the embassy In Tripoli will suffer the same fate remains to be seen, and was already operating with reduced staff due to the violence that began weeks ago.
The fighting has been centering around the city’s airport, as dueling militias fight for control of the country’s entry point.
The U.S. evacuation comes after Turkey announced Friday that it was closing down its embassy. The United Nations and other international NGO aid groups also left the country.
“We are committed to supporting the Libyan people during this challenging time, and are currently exploring options for a permanent return to Tripoli as soon as the security situation on the ground improves. In the interim, staff will operate from Washington and other posts in the region,” Harf said.
The evacuated staffers will continue to work on Libya issues in Tunis, elsewhere in North Africa and Washington.
The State Department also released a travel warning for Libya urging Americans not to travel to Libya, and if U.S. citizens are in Libya they should seriously consider leaving immediately.
“The Libyan government has not been able to adequately build its military and police forces and improve security,” it said. “Many military-grade weapons remain in the hands of private individuals, including antiaircraft weapons that may be used against civilian aviation.”
Washington also closed the U.S. embassy in Libya on Feb. 2011. The embassy suspended operations when the western-led revolt that eventually toppled longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi was underway. After the formation of a transitional government in July, 2011, the embassy reopened in September, and Qaddafi was killed in October of 2011.
On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones appealed for fighting near the embassy to stop.
“We have not been attacked but our neighborhood a bit 2 close to the action,” she tweeted. “Diplomatic missions 2 B avoided pls.” Then, on Sunday, Jones tweeted about “heavy shelling and other exchanges” of fire in the area the U.S. embassy was located.
The fighting in Tripoli started up earlier this month when Islamist-led militias — mostly from the western city of Misrata — launched an assault from the western mountain town of Zintan. On Monday, a $113 million Airbus A330 passenger jet for Libya’s state-owned Afriqiyah Airways was destroyed.
The Islamist group, the Operation Room of Libya’s Revolutionaries, posted on its Facebook page Friday that “troops arrested Abdel-Moaz over allegations that he served under Qaddafi” and “instigated rallies against” the Islamists.
