US pulls diplomats from Lahore consulate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is ordering nonemergency government personnel to leave the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan.

A US official says the departure has been ordered because of a threat specific to the Lahore mission. The official says the action is a precautionary measure and isn’t related to the recent closures of several US diplomatic posts in the Muslim world.

The diplomats were reportedly transferred to the embassy in Islamabad.

The US official isn’t authorized to discuss the order by name and requested anonymity. The personnel drawdown in Lahore was first reported by CNN.

In a travel warning issued Thursday night, the State Department advised American citizens to defer all nonessential travel to Pakistan. Officials say the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups poses a potential danger to US citizens throughout that country.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.