The United States is withdrawing more staff from its embassy in Tripoli, less than two weeks after cutting personnel to emergency levels following an attack on its consulate, officials said Thursday.
“This is a temporary drawdown of staff for security reasons,” a State Department official said, adding that the situation would be reviewed again next week.
Most American diplomatic staff had already been withdrawn from the embassy in Tripoli, after a September 11 militant attack on the US mission in the eastern city of Benghazi killed four Americans, including the ambassador, Chris Stevens.
All the staff from Benghazi have been sent home, and all non-emergency personnel were flown home from Tripoli the day after the attack, leaving just a skeleton staff behind. US officials refused to say how many people remained in Tripoli.