WASHINGTON--The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli is closed and the U.S. is seeking "unilateral" sanctions against Libya in the wake of strongman Qadhafi's violent crackdown on protestors.

Never a time when "this much done so quickly," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Friday.

Said Carney: "The State Department has suspended embassy operations in Libya and will temporarily withdraw all embassy employees from Tripoli. A ferry with approximately 200 U.S. citizens left this morning. A charter plane recently took off for Istanbul,
Turkey, with remaining embassy personnel and American citizens who had
requested evacuation."