The U.S. Embassy's Independence Day celebration in Bahrain was canceled and family members of embassy staff and nonessential workers were asked to leave on Saturday, a day after a mandatory evacuation order for other Americans. An employee at the U.S. Embassy in Manama told Reuters the embassy canceled July 4 celebrations, which were scheduled for Tuesday at a hotel in the capital, "due to security concerns related to the advisory."
The U.S. government has issued a steady stream of warnings about the Gulf kingdom since Thursday, despite protestations from Bahrain's prime minister, who said his country was secure and able to protect residents. "The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Bahrain. American citizens currently in Bahrain are urged to consider departing," the U.S. Embassy said in an advisory on Thursday. "The Department has received information that extremists are planning attacks against U.S. and other Western interests in the kingdom of Bahrain. Credible information indicates that extremists remain at large and are planning attacks in Bahrain." The new warning, issued on Saturday night, said families of embassy staff and nonessential employees should consider voluntary evacuation, a State Department spokeswoman said. The Department of Defense issued a mandatory evacuation order on Friday for nonemergency employees and families of American military personnel. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved the "temporary relocation," lasting at least 30 days.
Bahrain urged Americans to stay. "Bahrain has been and still is an oasis of safety, security and stability ... and is capable of protecting the interests of all individuals and institutions that it hosts," said Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa. |