WASHINGTON (AP) — A Syrian official says the Syrian ambassador to the U.S. has been recalled in response to the Obama administration's decision to withdraw its envoy to Damascus over security concerns.
Roua Shurbaji, a Syrian Embassy spokeswoman, says Ambassador Imad Moustapha left Washington on Monday. She said no other measure was being taken by the embassy.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said earlier Monday that U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford returned to the United States this past weekend after the U.S. received "credible threats against his personal safety in Syria."
The envoy has been the subject of several incidents of intimidation by pro-government thugs. He has enraged Syrian authorities with his forceful defense of anti-Assad demonstrations and harsh critique of a government crackdown that has now claimed more than 3,000 lives.
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