The US embassy in Qatar, closed since December 9 for security reasons, reopened this weekend, a US embassy official said Sunday.
"We reopened Saturday. ... We were closed for security reasons," embassy spokeswoman Aleta Wenger said. "We reviewed the situation over the weekend and decided to reopen."
When the embassy closed December 12, Wenger declined to comment on any specific threat but referred instead to a US announcement in October that US offices in the Middle East, Africa and Asia could be closed "to ensure the safety of staff."
The US embassy in Doha is heavily fortified and deploys a security force amid its semi-isolated neighborhood surroundings.
US offices in the Gulf have been vigilant about security since the October 12 bombing attack on the USS Cole destroyer in Yemen, which killed 17 US sailors.
Qatar, which hosts the largest US military warehouse outside of the United States, has not seen an increase in US soldiers, Wenger said.
"The number has not changed. It is still less that 200 (soldiers) in the whole country," she said -- DOHA (AFP)
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