U.S. considers closing embassy in Syria

U.S. considers closing embassy in Syria itors in Syria face many challenges Cracks showi
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Bloodshed continues in Syria
The U.S. Embassy in Damascus has only a handful of people working with Ambassador Robert Ford. Most of the staff were evacuated earlier in the year, and the diplomatic team was further reduced last week.
In October, the United States pulled Ford after he was attacked by what a U.S. official described as an "armed mob" in Damascus. About 100 pro-government protesters tried to storm a meeting, not in the embassy, between Ford and opposition leader Hassan Abdul Azim, trapping Ford and others for more than an hour. Later, his convoy was attacked.
Ford, who has been outspoken against the Syrian government's use of violence against protesters, is seen by Syrian government supporters as an activist more than a diplomat. He returned to Syria in December.
Heightened concerns about security come in the wake of last month's deadly car bombings at the offices of two Syrian security branches in Damascus.
Authorities in Syria have restricted traffic around government facilities and added barriers -- steps a senior State Department official said the United States and countries with similar concerns asked the government to implement.
"They have taken our concerns seriously and are engaged," the official said. "They have taken some steps, but at this point they are not sufficient to address what we see is a very real threat against the embassy buildings."
Amid the diplomatic wrangling, Syria smoldered Friday as anti-government demonstrators poured into the streets and the Arab League mulled an extension of its monitoring mission.
Protesters focused their attention on political prisoners and demanded the release of detainees. At least 14 people were killed, including six in Idlib, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group.
For more than 10 months, Syria has been in the throes of an anti-government public uprising and a brutal security crackdown against protesters. The United Nations last month estimated well over 5,000 deaths since mid-March. Opposition groups estimate more than 6,000 people have died.