UPDATED 4:35 p.m. ET: Fighters with an Islamist-allied militia group have captured an abandoned diplomatic housing sector of the U.S. embassy in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. The main embassy complex, which employees evacuated this past July amid increasing violence in the country, is still secure, according to Reuters. It is unclear how long the militia has controlled the embassy annex.
TRIPOLI, Libya — An Islamist-allied militia group said it has "secured" a U.S. embassy compound in Libya's capital on Sunday, more than a month after American personnel evacuated from the country over ongoing fighting.
An Associated Press journalist walked through the compound Sunday after the Dawn of Libya, an umbrella group for Islamist militias, invited onlookers inside. Windows at the compound had been broken, but it appeared most of the equipment there remained untouched.
A commander for the Dawn of Libya group said his forces had entered, and been in control of the compound since last week, when they wrested control of the embassy from a rival rebel faction.
A video posted online showed men playing in a pool at the compound.
مقاتلو #فجر_ليبيا الإسلاميون يقتحمون مقر السفارة الأميركية في العاصمة #طرابلس انتقاما لقصف #العراق وليبيا بحسب ناشطين http://t.co/3RaqmeJkiL— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) August 31, 2014
In a message on Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Safira Deborah said the video appeared to have been shot at the embassy's residential annex.
@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
She also said it appeared the compound was now being "safeguarded," and was not "ransacked."
@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, 2014
Battles between rival militias in Libya has caused thousands of residents to escape Tripoli, the nation's capital, and many have been killed.
On July 26, U.S. diplomats evacuated to neighboring Tunisia under a U.S. military escort. The U.S. State Department said embassy operations would be suspended until the security situation improved, and a state department spokesperson cited nearby violence as a reason for the move.
We had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting...between armed Libyan factions.— Marie Harf (@marieharf) July 26, 2014
The Dawn of Libya militia is currently deployed around the capital, and has called on foreign diplomats to return now that the fighting has subsided.
In late 2012, gunmen entered the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans, including former U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.
Additional reporting by Mashable