Kamal Ghorui
The Donald Trump administration Tuesday pushed through the messaging that they are actively trying to rescue hundreds of Americans stranded in the Middle East, four days after the crisis began. The State Department said it was actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East. “We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad. American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs said. White House adviser Steven Cheung appealed to all media channels to run this information on screens and social media.
‘Americans held hostage’: Massive backlash on social media
The reactions were brutal as social media users said the phone number the government handed out too late was not working
- ‘Kind of late don’t you think? 4 days in without a plan…..’
- ‘Airports are closed. The U.S. government has left American civilians stranded in a war zone.’
- ‘Seems like this information would have been much more useful about 5 days ago?’
- ‘How devastatingly ironic if, before the end of this, Americas again find themselves being held hostage in Iran.’
- ‘Unbelievable that there was not/is not a plan to ensure the safety of Americans. That is literally the government’s job!’
Americans also compared the response of other countries, how their governments evacuated them while the US State Department only issued advisories asking Americans to leave the conflict zone countries, while all airports were shut.
How to depart
American businessman James Blunt said he called the State Department emergency number but after 30 minutes on the line, he was read about the securty update that was already posted online. “I understand protocols. I understand thresholds for evacuation.But telling Americans to “depart now” when there are no commercial options and offering no practical pathway is frustrating to say the least,” Blunt wrote.
