US evacuating most diplomatic staff in Libya
A US Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft is parked at Tripoli International Airport on September 12, 2012. The United States is deploying a US Marine anti-terrorism team to Libya to bolster security after a deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi in which ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed, a US defense official said.
WASHINGTON,
The United States is evacuating most of its diplomatic staff from Libya, flying them to Germany, after an attack on its Benghazi offices that left four dead, US officials confirmed Wednesday.
All diplomatic missions around the world have also been ordered to review their security, a senior US official told journalists, adding that three US diplomatic staff had also been wounded in Tuesday's militant attack.
"We are still operating within the confusion of first reports, many details of what happened in Benghazi are still unknown or unclear," the official said.
Initially all American staff from Benghazi, including the wounded and the bodies of the dead, were evacuated back to Tripoli in the hours after the attack on a chartered plane that had to make a couple of return flights.
Those staff "are now in the process of being evacuated to Germany," the official said, adding the wounded would be treated there and the remains would be flown home.
"In the meantime we have taken our embassy in Tripoli down to emergency staffing levels," the official added, asking not to be identified.
"Last night all of our diplomatic posts around the world were ordered to review their security posture and to take all necessary steps to enhance it if those were deemed necessary."
