PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Security was reinforced at the Embassy of the United States here on Sunday as heavily armed gangs continue to spread terror across this French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state.
In a statement early Sunday, the U.S. State Department said Marines who were sent to reinforce security are also evacuating non-essential personnel.
The operation was carried out with a helicopter at the request of the State Department.
“This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft, said the United States Southern Command.
This airlift comes amid ongoing gang attacks in several locations around the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, including in Tabarre, where the U.S. embassy is located. Several neighboring businesses were recently looted and stormed by armed gangs who now control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, even as the U.S. Embassy remains open, the State Department said that heightened gang violence in the neighborhood near U.S. embassy compounds and near the airport led to the decision to arrange for the departure of additional embassy personnel.
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