The damage is shown near a building on the US embassy complex in Tripoli Monday. AP
Libyan Militia Now Controls U.S. Embassy Compound in Tripoli
A Libyan militia group says it has "secured" a U.S. Embassy compound in Tripoli, with the hope that foreign diplomats will return to their posts.
A militia group said it has "secured" a U.S. Embassy compound in Tripoli after American personnel were evacuated last month following intense fighting that put the ambassador and her staff at risk, the group said Sunday.
According to a journalist from the Associated Press, who was invited among other observers to view the compound by Dawn of Libya, the property appeared largely untouched. The group's commander said they had been in control of the grounds since last week after they had taken control of the capital from a rival militia.
Dawn of Libya has been posting video and pictures online as a source of to proof of their control of Tripoli, with the hope of restoring some level of normalcy in the city, as well as trying to convince foreign diplomats to their posts.
On Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones stopped short of confirming that the militia was inside the compound, but acknowledged that it what appears in the video is the residential annex and that it appears that it hasn't been "ransacked."
@AmCo15 The YouTube appears to be a residential annex of the US mission but cannot say definitively since not there.
— Safira Deborah (@SafiraDeborah) August 31, 2014
@AmCo15 To my knowledge & per recent photos the US Embassy Tripoli chancery & compound is now being safeguarded and has not been ransacked.
— Safira Deborah (@SafiraDeborah) August 31, 2014U.S. diplomats were evacuated to neighboring Tunisia under a U.S. military escort July 26, with embassy operations suspended until security improved.