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State Department asks US citizens to leave Somali capital

Story highlights
  • The message was published Saturday
  • Last month, at least 300 people were confirmed dead after a double car bombing rocked Mogadishu

Washington(CNN) The State Department on Saturday requested all non-essential US citizen employees leave the Somali capital of Mogadishu due to "specific threat information against U.S. personnel on the Mogadishu International Airport."

"The security situation in Somalia is extremely unstable, and the threat to all U.S. citizens in Somalia remains critical," the statement reads.

Last month, at least 300 people were confirmed dead after a double car bombing rocked Mogadishu, making it the deadliest attack in Somalia's modern history. Two US citizens were among those killed, a State Department official said.

Mogadishu, a large city on the east African nation's coast, has endured high levels of violence for years. Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked terror group, has carried out several deadly car bomb attacks in recent months.

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