The United States has temporarily closed its embassy in Libya and evacuated the staff to neighboring Tunisia because of heavy fighting near the embassy site in Tripoli.

The State Department says it has suspended embassy operations due to "ongoing violence between Libyan militias."

In a Saturday statement, the department also recommended that U.S. citizens in Libya depart immediately.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "freewheeling militia violence" is taking place in the Libyan capital.  He said while a lot of the violence in Tripoli is not aimed at the embassy, it presented a "very real risk" to personnel.

Kerry commented from Paris, on Saturday, where he is meeting with other diplomats on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced it had suspended operations at its embassy in Tripoli and moved more than 500 Turkish nationals to Tunisia.

In recent weeks, rival militias fighting for control of the Tripoli airport have engaged in some of the country's deadliest fighting since former leader Moammar Gadhafi was ousted in 2011.

Earlier this month, nearly 50 people were killed during clashes between Islamist-led fighters from Misrata and Zintan rebels, as the militant groups fought for control of the airport.

The Libyan government and parliament have struggled in their efforts to control the militias.

The State Department says Libya's security situation remains "unpredictable and unstable."  

It says the government has not been able to "adequately build its military and police forces" following the 2011 revolution.  The U.S. also says many "military-grade weapons" have remained in the hands of "private individuals."

The security of U.S. personnel in Libya remains a sensitive issue, after four Americans were killed in a 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: Economy and Finance