ABUJA, Nigeria
The US has ordered its non-emergency staff and families to leave the Nigerian capital, citing a risk of "heightened terror attacks."
The United States on Thursday
ordered its non-emergency diplomatic staff and families of government employees
to leave Nigeria's capital
Abuja due to a "heightened
risk of terrorist attacks."
The announcement came
only two days after the department said that — amid concerns — it
would permit nonessential staff at the embassy in Abuja to leave
voluntarily.
The order to leave the capital
was announced on Thursday in a revised State
Department advisory which warned American citizens to reconsider travel
to the African nation due to terrorism, crime, and other threats.
"The department (has)
ordered the departure of family members of US government employees from Abuja
due to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks there,'' the advisory said.
The US State Department did
not specify what the likely targets might be. However, a
country summary for Nigeria warns that "terrorists may attack with
little or no warning," targeting malls, markets, hotels, restaurants, bars
or schools."
The security move comes just
days after the embassy on Sunday called on US citizens to limit their movements
due to an "elevated risk of terror attacks in Nigeria, specifically in
Abuja".
The US embassy in Abuja
had warned of an "elevated risk of terror attacks'' in the city, with
possible
targets include government buildings, places of worship and other public
places.
It urged Americans there to
avoid all nonessential movements and crowds. Britain, Canada and Australia
had repeated the warning.
Nigeria has been
in conflict with an Islamic insurgency in its northeast for over a decade.
While Abuja — home to six
million people — has been seen as safe, insurgents linked to the so-called
"Islamic State" have claimed several attacks in the areas surrounding
the capital in the last six months.
The Department of State
Services —Nigeria's secret and intelligence police — has urged calm, saying
that "necessary precautions'' are being taken to prevent such attacks. -
Agencies
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