The United States Embassy in Chad, in response to a “credible threat” from the terrorist group Boko Haram, kept its doors closed from Tuesday through Friday, September 11, Fox News has learned from a military source.
A message for Americans in Chad posted on the embassy’s web site, states, “the U.S. Embassy will be closed for normal operations Wednesday-Friday, September 9-11. Emergency consular services will still be available to U.S. citizens.”
“For security and safety reasons U.S. Embassy staff are still prohibited from visiting public open-air markets; public places of worship; public events not held at U.S. government facilities or residences,” it adds.
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), which maintains a heavy presence in the northern African country of Libya, has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigeria-based Boko Haram, notorious for abducting hundreds of girls in northern Nigeria, much to the dismay of the international community.
“This is the second security threat in the past two days on the African continent,” notes Fox News.
The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa warned Americans that it had “received information that extremists may be targeting US interests in South Africa,” adds the article.
Although Chad borders Boko Haram’s home base of Nigeria, the State Department warns, “The entire Lake Chad region, not only along Chad’s border with Nigeria, is especially vulnerable because of rising activities by the extremist terrorist group Boko Haram. Chad’s historically volatile security environment can deteriorate unexpectedly, especially along the border areas.”
“While there are presently no known specific threats against U.S. citizens in Chad, there are violent extremist organizations in the region, such as Boko Haram and al-Qai’da in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which are intent on harming westerners and western interests and are able to cross borders easily,” it adds. “Kidnapping for ransom is a potential threat in the region.”
U.S. embassies issue security messages to alert Americans living in the country to threats that could harm them.
“The State Department would not immediately reveal how many embassies worldwide had issued security warnings this week in the days leading up to September 11 when contacted by Fox News,” the Fox News article revealed.
In the past two years, embassies in Syria, Libya, and Yemen have been shut down, sometimes leaving American citizens behind to find their own way home.
American embassies are components of the U.S. State Department.
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