The US Department of State has asked non-essential embassy personnel in Syria and family members to leave the country over fears of increasing violence in a military crackdown against anti-government protesters, DPA reported.
The embassy in Damascus was to remain open, but for limited services, the State Department said late Monday. US citizens were asked to avoid all travel to Syria, and those already in the country were advised to leave while this was still possible.
At least 39 people were killed and 70 wounded Monday in the southern city of Daraa after the army fired on demonstrators, activists said. Amid the rising death toll in Syria, international outrage was building against the Damascus regime.
The United States was considering further sanctions against the Damascus regime in the wake of the crackdowns, the White House said. A report from London citing British officials said that European governments were pushing for a United Nations condemnation of the violence in Syria.
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