U.S. citizens urged to leave Syria

WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department is urging U.S. citizens in Syria to leave the country immediately while commercial transportation is available.

Because of the volatile situation in Syria, "U.S. citizens who must remain in Syria are advised to limit non-essential travel within the country," the department said Tuesday in a statement. "U.S. citizens not in Syria should defer all travel to Syria at this time."

The department also ordered eligible family members of federal employees and some non-emergency personnel to leave Syria.

Embassy operations will continue "to the extent possible under the constraints of an evolving security situation," the department statement said.

Since March, demonstrations have been violently suppressed by Syrian security forces, resulting in hundreds of deaths, information from diplomatic, rebel and international relief organization sources said.

"Syrian government constraints on observers, including the short-term detention of accredited diplomats, have made it difficult for embassy personnel to adequately assess the current risks or the potential for continuing violence," the statement said.

The State Department said Syrian efforts to attribute the unrest to outside influences "may lead to an increase in anti-foreigner sentiment. Detained U.S. citizens may find themselves subject to allegations of incitement or espionage."