6 US envoys killed in 50 years – 4 in Islamic countries

London, There are a number of issues that have raised the fears of successive US administration, from the threat of nuclear weapons to suicide attacks against US interests.

Perhaps one of the most prominent of these fears is that of the targeting and assassination of US diplomatic missions abroad, particularly as the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and the 1983 US embassy bombing in Beirut remain firmly entrenched within the American consciousness. The storming of the US embassy in Cairo and the US consulate in Benghazi yesterday bring these tragedies to mind once more.
US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed on Tuesday in the attack on the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi by protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. He is the sixth US ambassador to be killed over the past 50 years, and the fourth to be killed whilst representing his country in an Islamic state. More protests are expected today, whilst protesters in Yemen stormed the US embassy in Sanaa, gaining access to the compound and setting fire to vehicles. This comes after US embassies and consulates around the world have stepped up security in the wake of the attacks.
The following is a list of 6 US ambassadors killed by opponents of the US.
Ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya in 2012 following an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.
Ambassador Adolph Dubs killed in Afghanistan in 1979 after being kidnapped in Kabul.
Ambassador Francis E. Melroy Jr., killed in Lebanon in 1976 after being kidnapped in Beirut.
Ambassador Rodger P. Davies, killed in Cyprus in 1974 by gunfire after shots were fired during a protest outside of the US embassy in Nicosia.
Ambassador Cleo A. Noel Jr., killed in Sudan in 1973 after being kidnapped in Khartoum.
Ambassador John Gordon Mein, killed in Guatemala in 1968 after rebels attacked his car.

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat