WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. citizens remaining in Syria should leave the country while commercial transportation is still available, the U.S. State Department warned.
Syrian action against opponents of President Bashar Assad has left more than 2,500 people dead since an uprising began this spring. Violence has continued despite near-universal condemnation of the Assad regime.
Damascus blames much of the violence on militants and external forces.
Washington is said to be drafting a formal U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria though it's up against a possible veto from Russia, which said it was worried about what would develop in the political vacuum should Assad's regime fall.
The State Department, in a travel warning, called on U.S. citizens remaining in the country to leave.
"Syrian efforts to attribute the current civil unrest to external influences have led to an increase in anti-foreigner sentiment," the warning read.
Syrian opposition groups are slowly gaining strength despite the bloodshed and repression in Syria. Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, recognized the difficulties of organizing a political platform in such conditions.
"But we applaud these efforts," he said.
