Tag Archives: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

U.S. Embassy Yemen Now on Evacuation … No, on Temporary Reduction of Staff Status

September 25, 2014 By in Americans Abroad, Consular Work, Evacuations, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, FSOs, Media, Protests, Realities of the FS, Regulations, Security, Social Media, Staffing the FS, State Department, Terrorism, U.S. Missions, War Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

— Domani Spero
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On September 25, the State Department finally ordered the evacuation temporary reduction of USG personnel from the US Embassy in Yemen.  Below is an excerpt from the updated Travel Warning:

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.  The Department urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those U.S. citizens currently living in Yemen to depart. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Yemen issued on July 21, 2014.

On September 24, 2014, the Department of State ordered a reduction of U.S. government personnel from Yemen out of an abundance of caution due to the continued civil unrest and the potential for military escalation. The Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency and provide routine consular services may be limited. Embassy officers are restricted in their movements and cannot travel outside of Sana’a. In addition, movements within Sana’a are severely constrained and may be further constrained by the fluid security situation.

The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high. The Embassy is subject to frequent unannounced closures.  In May 2014, the Embassy was closed for almost five weeks because of heightened security threats.

Demonstrations continue to take place in various parts of the country and may quickly escalate and turn violent. U.S. citizens are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations, and to exercise extreme caution if within the vicinity of a demonstration.

Read in full here.

In related news, the Official Spokesperson of the State Department released a statement emphasizing that “The Embassy did not suspend operations and will continue to operate, albeit with reduced staff” and that “Consular services have not been affected by this temporary reduction in personnel.”

Serious question — when the USG declares that post is on “temporary reduction” or on “temporary relocation” of personnel, which seems to be the trend these days, are affected personnel considered “evacuees” for allowance and travel purposes?  Or are all the affected personnel put on TDY status to their designated safe havens?  We’re having a hard time locating the citation for “temporary reduction”or “temporary relocation” in the Foreign Affairs Manual.

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US Embassy Yemen Now on Ordered Departure

August 6, 2013 By in Americans Abroad, Defense Department, Evacuations, Foreign Service, Realities of the FS, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , ,

— Domani Spero

Today, the State Department announced the ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Yemen due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks. It also urged American citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those already in the country to “depart immediately.”

August 6, 2013

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest. The Department urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those U.S. citizens currently living in Yemen to depart immediately.

On August 6, 2013, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Yemen due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks.

U.S. citizens currently in Yemen should depart. As staff levels at the Embassy are restricted, our ability to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency and provide routine consular services remains limited and may be further constrained by the fluid security situation. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Yemen issued on July 16, 2013.

The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high. In September 2012, a mob attacked the U.S. Embassy compound. Demonstrations continue to take place in various parts of the country and may quickly escalate and turn violent. U.S. citizens are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations, and to exercise extreme caution if within the vicinity of a demonstration.

Terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), continue to be active throughout Yemen. The U.S. government remains highly concerned about possible attacks on U.S. citizens (whether visiting or residing in Yemen), and U.S. facilities, businesses, and perceived U.S. and Western interests. A U.S. citizen was attacked and killed in Taiz on March 18, 2012 and the press reported that AQAP claimed responsibility. An ongoing risk of kidnapping exists throughout Yemen. In the last year, international and local media have reported several kidnappings of Westerners. Violent crime is also a growing problem; local media reported the murder of two U.S. citizens in Taiz and Aden in 2013. In addition, piracy in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean is a security threat to maritime activities in the region. See our International Maritime Piracy Fact Sheet.

U.S. government-facilitated evacuations occur only when no safe commercial alternatives exist. Evacuation assistance is provided on a cost-recovery basis, which means the traveler must reimburse the U.S. government for travel costs. The lack of a valid U.S. passport may hinder U.S. citizens’ ability to depart the country and may slow the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide assistance. U.S. citizens in Yemen should ensure that they have proper and current documentation at all times.

Read in full here: http://yemen.usembassy.gov/wm-080613.html

The Pentagon also released a statement that the Air Force transported the personnel ordered to leave Yemen early today.

In response to a State Department request, the Air Force transported personnel out of Sanaa, Yemen, early this morning as part of a reduction in emergency personnel, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

“The U.S. Department of Defense continues to have personnel on the ground in Yemen to support the U.S. State Department and monitor the security situation,” Little said in a statement.

The State Department today ordered a reduction in the number of emergency U.S. government personnel in Yemen.

“As we have said, we are concerned about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks against U.S. persons or facilities overseas, especially emanating from the Arabian Peninsula,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement. “As such, the department is taking appropriate steps to protect our employees, including local employees and visitors to our facilities.”

Since  the Sanaa airport is reportedly open, and commercial flights have not been suspended, it does not look like there is a  USG-evacuation at this time for private Americans leaving Yemen.

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US Embassy Yemen: AQAP Offers Gold Bounty for Ambassador Feierstein

January 3, 2013 By in Ambassadors, Diplomatic Life, Foreign Service, FSOs, Realities of the FS, Security, Spouses, Terrorism, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , 4 Comments

Reuters reported recently that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was offering three kilograms of gold for the killing of the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa, Gerald Feierstein. The group also offers to pay about $23,350 to anyone who kills an American soldier in Yemen.  The offer, according to reports was good only for six months.  The offer reportedly was done to “encourage our Muslim Ummah (nation), and to expand the circle of the jihad (holy war) by the masses,” according to an audio released by militants sourced from the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group (subscription fee).

The bounty offer made it to the State Department’s Daily Press Briefing:

QUESTION: Are you concerned the same incident in Benghazi would happen again in Yemen? As you’ve said, the State Department is now taking the threat to the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen seriously. Are you increasing the security?

MS. NULAND: Well, as you probably know, our mission in Yemen has been operating for quite some time at a highly sensitive and secure level. We continue to work intensively with that government, not only on security challenges for us, but security challenges for the Government of Yemen and the people of Yemen across the country. So we obviously take this situation with utmost seriousness, and we are taking all necessary measures.

QUESTION: But how do you make sure that tragedy won’t happen again?

MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, I’m not going to get into the details of how we manage our security in general terms or in specific terms at our Embassy in Sana’a, but I will tell you that our Embassy has been at emergency staffing levels for quite some time, including a pretty cautious status with regard to internal travel, et cetera.

QUESTION: Is the Ambassador still keeping up his same daily schedule since these events?

MS. NULAND: I don’t think I’m going to get into the security posture of the Ambassador except to say that we take these things very seriously.

Ambassador Feierstein has been the United States Ambassador to Yemen since September 2010. He previously served overseas at: Islamabad, Pakistan (1976–78); Tunis, Tunisia (1983–1985); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1985–1987); Peshawar, Pakistan (1989–1992); Muscat, Oman (1995–1998), where he was chargé d’affaires; Jerusalem (1998–2001), as deputy consul general; and Beirut, Lebanon (2003–2004).  He returned to Pakistan in 2008 as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Islamabad.

He has two daughters and a son, a United States Marine Corps veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq. This past September, his wife of over 30 years, Mary told a a Philadelphia-area newspaper that her husband was not worried about his safety.

Here is a quick excerpt from mcall.com:

“We’ve become such a strange family,” Mary Feierstein said, speaking from her home outside Washington, D.C. “I’m constantly worried about him, but we don’t worry as much as we used to because there is always something going on.”
[…]
Mary Feierstein, who is Pakistani, met her husband when he was posted at the U.S. embassy in Islamabad in 1976. She was drawn to his charms and intellect, she said. They were married in 1978 and spent what she described as “five wonderful years” in the United States before they left for his second post in Tunis, Tunisia, in 1983.

“I was trying to get away from that part of the world and then he took me back,” she said, laughing.
[…]
“The next posting could be Paris, but he’d say, ‘What am I go to do there? It will be boring’,” she said. “He likes challenge, to make history.”
[…]
After leaving Israel in July 2001, she never joined her husband on another post. He was going to countries where she was no longer allowed to join him because it was too dangerous.

“Since then, the world has been falling apart,” she said. “Up until then it was exciting. I loved it. Things aren’t as great for American diplomats overseas as they used to be.”

It looks like the Feiersteins are now on their third unaccompanied tour where Mrs. Feierstein has been unable to accompany her FSO to his overseas assignment.  Two years in Lebanon, two years in Pakistan and now over two years in Yemen.   All but one of his predecessors had three year tours, so presumably, he will have a similar length of tour unless he is called back earlier.

domani spero sig

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