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US orders non-emergency government staff to leave Iraq
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IANS | 15 May, 2019
The US State Department on
Wednesday ordered the departure of non-emergency US government employees
from Iraq amid increasing tensions with Iran and warned American
citizens not to travel to the country, citing a "high risk for violence
and kidnapping".
The announcement comes on the heels of Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo's unannounced trip to Iraq where he said he spoke
to officials about the country's ability to protect Americans.
The
action also represents the latest manoeuvering by the Donald Trump
administration in the Middle East, where the Pentagon has positioned a
carrier strike group and a bomber task force, CNN reported.
The
department said in a statement that employees working in the US Embassy
in Baghdad and the US Consulate in Erbil were instructed to leave Iraq
and that "normal visa services will be temporarily suspended at both
posts".
According to the statement, American Citizens Services
employees who were working in the Embassy in Baghdad "will continue to
provide consular services to US citizens in Basra".
The
department said the sudden changes came due to the US government's
"ability to provide routine and emergency services to US citizens in
Iraq is extremely limited" and that as a result, the threat of
"terrorism, kidnapping and armed conflict" aimed at Americans in the
country was too great a risk.
It added that Americans "should not
travel through Iraq to Syria to engage in armed conflict" as they may
face similar threats there and face "legal risks" from both Washington
and Damascus.
The orders from the State Department come a day
after US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the
Middle East, said that the Pentagon has increased the threat risk for US
troops in Iraq and Syria.
There is a tense situation in the
Middle East after President Trump decided not to re-issue the sanctions
waivers for major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they
expired in early May.
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