WASHINGTON — The State Department has warned Americans against
traveling to Syria.
The department has urged Americans to stay away from Syria amid threats
of Islamic insurgency attack. Officials said the regime of Syrian President
Bashar Assad might be unable to stop attacks on Americans in the
country, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Travelers are advised to thoroughly consider the risks before travel to
Syria and to take adequate precautions to ensure their safety if traveling
to Syria," the department said in a travel warning on Sept. 18.
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Officials said Syria's harboring of groups deemed terrorists poses a
threat to Americans. The Assad regime has maintained the presence of Hamas,
Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad and Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command, all groups financed by Iran.
The State Department has urged Americans in Syria to exercise caution
and take measures to maintain their security. The measures include avoiding
crowds and demonstrations, maintaining a low profile, revising travel times
and routes, and ensuring valid travel documents.
In September 2006, the U.S. embassy in Damascus was stormed by
assailants armed with bombs and assault weapons. The strike was attributed
to an Al Qaida cell, but the Syrian regime, claiming that all of the
attackers were killed, refused U.S. access to suspects.
"This attack underscores the danger posed by the continued presence of
terrorist groups in Syria," the State Department said. "The embassy is
working with the
Syrian authorities to address these threats and the security issues raised
by the attack on the embassy. While the authorities have taken measures
since then to crack down on local extremists, self-contained groups with no
links to external terrorist organizations will remain inherently difficult
to detect and disrupt."
