Al Qaeda branch calls for more attacks on US diplomats

The North African branch of al Qaeda has called for attacks on U.S. diplomats as well as for increasing protests against the controversial YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims,” The Associated Press reports.

In its statement, the group called on Muslims to pull down flags at embassies, as well as kill or expel American diplomats in order to “purge our land of their filth in revenge for the honor of the Prophet.”

The statement also praised the killing of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, Libya.

In addition, the group threatened attacks in several North African states, including Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria, and charged the United States with "lying to Muslims for more than 10 years, saying its war was against terrorism and not Islam."

The group in North Africa is not the only al Qaeda branch in the Middle East to call for more attacks. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, allegedly the most active al Qaeda branch, has also called for more attacks.

The calls for more violence and protests come after a rash of attacks on U.S. embassies and consulates in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia and Indonesia. There have been protests outside several other embassies, including the U.S. Embassy in London. As a result, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, has taken the precaution of burning classified material, The Hill reported on Monday.