State Department Evacuates U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya

Another Barack Obama foreign policy failure …

CNN is reporting that the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya has been evacuated due to the escalating militia violence raging out of control. According to news reports, about 150 personnel, including 80 U.S. Marines were evacuated from the embassy and were driven across the border into Tunisia under the protection of F-16,  MV-22 Osprey aircraft and drone patrol from above. The only option was to drive the embassy officials out as the Tripoli airport had been shut down due to the violence. The removal of the US Embassy staff took place without incident.  As reported at the BBC, It is the second time in more than three years that the US has closed its embassy in Libya. The state department has also urged US nationals not to go to Libya.

VIDEO – NBC News

The U.S. Embassy in Libya evacuated its personnel on Saturday because of heavy militia violence raging in the capital, Tripoli, the State Department said.

About 150 personnel, including 80 U.S. Marines were evacuated from the embassy in the early hours of Saturday morning and were driven across the border into Tunisia, U.S. officials confirm to CNN.

U.S. officials stress that this is a relocation of embassy personnel and the operations have been “temporarily suspended” until “the security situation on the ground improves.” The embassy will continue to operate from other locations.

A senior State Department official said some of the staff from Libya will be sent to other U.S. embassies in the region and others will come back to Washington.

VIDEO – CNN

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that security and safety are a top priority and come first. Really? Also, while there appeared to be no direct threat of an attack against the embassy, it was the rising violence in Libya between the battling factions of warlords for control that caused the evacuation.  Too bad the Obama administration and State Department did not take the same precautions in Benghazi, Libya when violence was escalating and the US Ambassador Chris Stevens asked for more security.

“Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top Department priorities, and we did not make this decision lightly. 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.

Militia fighting in the area of the embassy and airport has degraded security in Tripoli significantly.

Secretary of State John Kerry called upon various factions to engage in a political process, saying “the current course of violence would only bring chaos.” Good grief, are you kidding? That’s the Obama’s administration’s response?