Non-essential U.S. staff evacuated from Yemen
Thursday, April 10, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
CAIRO — The U.S. embassy has issued an evacuation order for non-essential staffers after warning of new Al Qaida attacks on Westerners in Yemen.
On Tuesday, the State Department ordered non-essential staff to leave Yemen. The embassy said Americans in Yemen must make plans to leave the country immediately.
The embassy raised the prospect of additional Al Qaida strikes after mortar attacks on a Western compound in Sanaa on April 6. Three mortars smashed into the compound, but nobody was injured.
"The Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency embassy staff and family members from Yemen," the embassy said. "Embassy employees are not authorized to travel outside of Sanaa and have been advised to avoid hotels, restaurants, and tourist areas and to strictly limit their exposure in public places until further notice."
Al Qaida has claimed responsibility for the mortar strike at the Hadda compound. This was the second such attack by Al Qaida on Westerners in less than three weeks.
"The embassy advises all U.S. citizens to exercise caution in this area of city, and will report any further information that may become available," the embassy said.
On March 19, Al Qaida fired mortars toward the U.S. embassy in Sanaa. The mortars missed the embassy and struck a girls school, killing two.
Since then, Yemeni authorities have reported the arrest of a senior Al Qaida fugitive. The detainee was identified as Ali Abdullah Gazi Al Raymi, captured after a hunt of more than two years.