The U.S. military carried out an evacuation mission of U.S. Embassy staff in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, amid a deteriorating security situation.
The State Department requested the military carry out the mission to both airlift non-essential personnel out of the capital and to increase the security posture at the embassy, according to a statement from U.S. Southern Command.
There were no Haitians on the military aircraft, the military said, signaling that no senior Haitian government officials were fleeing.
“At the request of the Department of State, the U.S. military conducted an operation to augment the security of the U.S. Embassy at Port-au-Prince, allow our Embassy mission operations to continue, and enable nonessential personnel to depart,” the U.S. Southern Command said in its statement.
A group of powerful gangs united last week to launch attacks in the capitol against government institutions prompting the government to declare a state of emergency.
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“Our Embassy remains focused on advancing U.S. government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police, expediting the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, and accelerating a peaceful transition of power via free and fair elections,” the statement read.
The embassy urged U.S. citizens on March 6 to leave as quickly as possible and encouraged Americans not to travel there.
