The U.S. Peace Corps has suspended operations in Jordan and withdrawn its 60 volunteers because of a raised security risk to American personnel, an agency official said Sunday, according to Reuters.
This move follows a State Department decision to reduce staff and dependants at the U.S. embassy in Amman after the killing of a U.S. diplomat last month.
"The safety and security of our volunteers is the highest priority of the Peace Corps," an Amman-based agency official told Reuters. "The decision was taken in Washington after an evaluation of the security situation in Jordan and determined that suspension of the program at this time was appropriate."
The Peace Corps, an independent U.S. federal agency, runs rural development projects across Jordan. Volunteers collaborated with Jordanian institutions in predominantly rural settings, focusing their efforts on community development initiatives, micro-enterprise development for women, environmental management and awareness, and teaching English as a foreign language.
Since its inception in 1997, the Peace Corps program has enjoyed strong support from both the Jordanian government and members of the royal family.
