Syria: U.S. Folds Tent

U.S. shuts embassy, pulls diplomats out of Syria

Breaking_news

Associated Press

by: Bradley Klapper

Monday, February 6, 2012

 

The United States has pulled its diplomats out of Syria in the face of violence and international pressure for President Bashar Assad to step down. Photo Credit:AP

The Obama administration closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Monday and pulled all American diplomats out of violence-wracked Syria as the U.S. stepped up pressure on President Bashar Assad to leave power.

Their departure comes two weeks after the State Department warned that it would close the embassy unless Assad's government better protected the mission, citing safety concerns about embassy personnel and a recent series of car bombs. And it coincides with a U.S. effort to build an international coalition in support of Syria's opposition.

President Barack Obama said the ongoing conflict in Syria should be resolved without outside military intervention, saying a negotiated solution in Syria is still possible. And he defended his administration's actions during the 11-month uprising against Assad's regime. Read the original article at Associated Press