An Iraqi girl reaches out to shake hands with a passing US soldier from the 1st Battalion 5th Infantry during a search for hidden weapons in Mosul, 400 kilometers north of Baghdad.(AFP/Cris Bouroncle)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department ramped up its travel advisory for Yemen on Friday as it warned it was concerned about possible attacks by extremists against U.S. citizens or interests in the Middle Eastern state.
Britain also cited risks in Yemen on Friday. It suspended work at its embassy there "in the light of a current, credible threat to Western interests," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Yemen was the site of the 2000 USS Cole bombing, which killed 17 U.S. sailors, and the 2002 attack on the French supertanker Limburg, which killed one.
The U.S. notice warned Americans to delay traveling to Yemen and authorized the voluntary departure of family members and nonemergency personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in the capital Sanaa.
"The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Yemen," it said in the latest travel warning.
The department issued a warning in November that the risks to all U.S. citizens in Yemen remained high due to terrorist activities, but wording in its newest warning was stronger.
"The Department is concerned about possible attacks by extremist individuals or groups against U.S. citizens, facilities, businesses and perceived interests and therefore has authorized the voluntary departure from Yemen of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members," it warned.
The earlier advisory did not ask Americans to delay nonessential travel, nor did it authorize a voluntary departure from the embassy in Sanaa.
Britain's warning recommended vigilance.
"There is a high threat from terrorism and evidence that terrorists may target Western, including British, interests in Yemen. You should be particularly vigilant in places frequented by foreigners, such as hotels," the Foreign Office said in advice to travelers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the embassy, closed on Friday for the Muslim Sabbath, would not open on Saturday as scheduled.
"We are continuing to monitor the security situation. The safety of our staff is paramount," the official said when asked when the embassy would reopen.
Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, has cooperated with the U.S.-led war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and Washington has praised it for fighting al Qaeda.
An Iraqi girl reaches out to shake hands with a passing US soldier from the 1st Battalion 5th Infantry during a search for hidden weapons in Mosul, 400 kilometers north of Baghdad.(AFP/Cris Bouroncle)