As a select committee in the U.S. House attempts to find the truth about the 2012 terror attack that left four Americans dead in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. citizens in that nation are being urged this week to leave immediately amid security threats.
The State Department issued a warning Tuesday evening for all Americans who remained in Libya following a U.S. Marines mission to help Americans evacuate.
“The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to Libya and recommends that U.S. citizens currently in Libya depart immediately,” the statement explained. “The security situation in Libya remains unpredictable and unstable. The Libyan government has not been able to adequately build its military and police forces and improve security following the 2011 revolution.”
The agency explained a number of threats by “various groups” have been made against Americans in the nation, noting its capability to offer protection or emergency services at this time is “very limited.”
Staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Libya’s capital city of Tripoli has been pared down significantly as a result of the ongoing threats, the statement indicated.
As for those citizens targeting Americans, the State Department indicated many have access to powerful military equipment and weaponry, including some devices that can effectively attack aircraft.
Coinciding with the evacuation warning is an ongoing battle waged by Libyan Gen. Khalifa Hifter against Islamic operatives and supporters in the region. Though many of the nation’s officials and military personnel support Hifter’s mission and are backing him as a political leader, he has earned the wrath of those in the Islamic militias he is targeting.
A number of these radicals – including members of Ansar al-Shariah – are fighting back against the military leader, whom they conclude is acting on America’s behalf. The group, which has ties to terror organization Al Qaeda, has been linked to the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.