Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
SYRIA Travel Warning
September 18, 2007
This Travel Warning alerts
U.S. citizens to the ongoing safety and security concerns in
Syria . Travelers are advised to thoroughly consider the risks before travel to
Syria and to take adequate precautions to ensure their safety if traveling to
Syria . This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on November 13, 2006.
On September 12, 2006, the U.S. Embassy in
Damascus was attacked by assailants using improvised explosives, gunfire, and two vehicles laden with explosives. This attack underscores the danger posed by the continued presence of terrorist groups in
Syria . The Embassy is working with the Syrian authorities to address these threats and the security issues raised by the attack on the Embassy. While the authorities have taken measures since then to crack down on local extremists, self-contained groups with no links to external terrorist organizations will remain inherently difficult to detect and disrupt.
U.S. citizens who remain in or travel to
Syria are encouraged to register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in
Damascus, and to obtain updated information on travel and security in
Syria . Americans in
Syria should exercise caution and take prudent measures to maintain their security. These measures include being aware of their surroundings, avoiding crowds and demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel, and ensuring travel documents are current.
U.S. consular personnel remain available to provide emergency information and services to American citizens. The U.S. Embassy in
Damascus,
Syria , is located at 2,
Al-Mansour St. , Abu Roumaneh. The Embassy telephone number is (963) (11) 333-1342, fax (963) (11) 331-9678, e-mail: acsdamascus@state.gov. American citizens may register with the Embassy online by visiting https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs. Additional information may be found on the Embassy website at http://usembassy.state.gov/damascus.
Updated information on travel and security in
Syria may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the
United States or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444. Additional details can be found in the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for
Syria, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and the
Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement which are available on the Department's Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.
###
Source: Syria 09/18/2007