21 US Embassies & Consulates Closed In The Middle East & North Africa

August 5, 2013 – 21 US Embassies & Consulates Closed In North Africa & Middle East Over Safety Concern

All the 21 United States Embassies and consulates in North Africa and the Middle East will remain closed over possible safety concerns.

According to the State Department In Washington, the closures were out of abundance of caution and not a new threat.

The United Kingdom said its embassy in Yemen would stay closed until the Muslim festival of Eid on Thursday.

The decision to close the embassies comes as the U.S government battles to defend recently disclosed surveillance programmes that have stirred deep privacy concerns.

The security of staffs at United States embassies is a major point of concern after 2012’s attack on US embassy in Benghazi, Libya, where the country’s ambassador and three other Americans were killed.