WASHINGTON, Nov 23: The United States has decided to withdraw embassy dependents and non-essential staff from Jordan, the State Department said on Friday.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and US Ambassador Edward Gnehm spoke to King Abdullah on Friday and informed him of the decision, spokesman Philip Reeker said.

“The Department of State has approved ... an authorized departure of family members ... and non-emergency personnel from the American Embassy in Amman,” he told a briefing in Washington.

“This is an option that will allow some embassy employees or dependents to depart ... voluntarily.”

Once an authorized departure is announced, the dependents and non-essential staff have 30 days to decide whether they want to leave. Those deciding to go are given free tickets to return to the United States.

The decision follows the shooting to death of US diplomat Laurence Foley in Amman on Oct 28. US officials have not yet determined the motive for the killing but do not rule out the possibility of terrorist involvement.

The decision to authorize the departure of some staff “results from the overall assessment of the security situation in the wake of the assassination of the USAID employee, Laurence Foley,” said Reeker.

The State Department has also issued a travel warning to alert Americans about increased security concerns in Jordan and urge them to “carefully consider the risks of travel” to that country.