Security Alert – U S Embassy Baghdad, Iraq

The U.S. State Department [Wednesday] has ordered the departure of non-emergency US Government employees from Iraq, both at the US Embassy in Baghdad and the US Consulate in Erbil.  Normal visa services at both posts will be temporarily suspended.  The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Iraq.

US Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted in response: “These actions are not the prelude to a US attack against Iran. There is clear & persistent evidence, supported by observable movements on the ground, that Iran’s proxy forces in Iraq & Yemen plan to attack Americans with the intent of inflicting mass casualties.