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US advises citizens not to travel to Iraq after recent attacks on US personnel
The advisory follows the ordered departure of eligible family members and non-emergency US government personnel from missions in Iraq
Iraqis carry placards and wave the Palestinian flag during a protest in Baghdad. — AFP
The US State Department said on Sunday US citizens should not travel to Iraq after recent attacks on American troops and personnel in the region.
The travel advisory says: "Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens."
There has been a spike in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria since the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza broke out. Last week, a US warship shot down more than a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen.
The advisory followed the ordered departure of eligible family members and non-emergency US government personnel from US Embassy Baghdad and US Consulate General Erbil "due to increased security threats against US personnel and interests", the State Department said in a statement.
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The statement added that anti-US militias "threaten US citizens and international companies" throughout Iraq. Earlier on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said they saw the prospect of a significant escalation in attacks on American troops in the Middle East and of Iran seeking to widen the Israel-Hamas war.
Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel has since retaliated with deadly air strikes on Gaza, a 45 km-long strip of land that is part of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and home to 2.3 million people that has been ruled politically since 2007 by Hamas. Israel's air strikes have killed over 4,700 people, Palestinian officials say.
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"Because of security concerns, US government personnel in Baghdad are instructed not to use Baghdad International Airport," the State Department said on Sunday.
The United States has sent a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East in recent weeks, including two aircraft carriers, their support ships and about 2,000 Marines.
The US will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system and additional Patriot air defence missile system battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Saturday.
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