Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com
As tensions rise in Egypt over clashes between the supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi, the U.S. is prepared to evacuate its embassy in the capital Cairo, if the situation spirals out of control, Press TV reports.
Violence escalated in the Egyptian city of Alexandria on Friday and three people, including a young American journalist, were killed.
“The death of an American is an indication that the situation in Egypt is increasingly getting out of control,” said Michael Maloof, a former Pentagon official, in an interview on Saturday.
“ [The fact that] U.S. Marines are on standby and ships are in the Red Sea would indicate that they are preparing more to evacuate the embassy in the event of total unrest and the inability of the Egyptian government to protect the embassy and the American personnel there,” he added.
Meanwhile, the United States is deploying about 400 troops to Egypt. The troops have been training for months at Fort Hood, Texas.
“I doubt that the U.S. has any further designs other than to use the Marines to protect the evacuation of U.S. personnel,” Maloof noted.
The U.S. State Department has warned Americans to put off unnecessary trips to Egypt and has allowed some diplomatic staff to leave the North African country.
President Barack Obama said in South Africa on Saturday that U.S.’s “immediate concern” was with protecting its embassy and consulates, and their staff.
An “unprecedented exodus” has been reported from Egypt. Officials say that all flights leaving for Europe, the U.S. and the Gulf are fully booked.
Egypt’s opposition groups have rejected Morsi’s recent invitation for national reconciliation and called for demonstrations on Sunday, the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration.
Six people, including a former MP from Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, have been killed in the renewed violence in Egypt this week.
