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The United States is withdrawing its entire non-emergency government employees from Iraq as tensions continue to mount between Washington and Iran. The U.S State Department announced on Wednesday on its website that the Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S Government employees from Iraq, both at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil. The statement also indicated that visa services would be suspended temporarily at both locations. It was also said the government had limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S citizens in Iraq. It urged citizens to leave Iraq as soon as possible and avoid all U.S facilities within the country.

A spokesperson for the U.S State Department informed press that the decision was made due to the increased threat stream we are experiencing in Iraq. He added that these issues were also shared with the Iraqi government during the visit of U.S Secretary Mike Pompeo on May 7 and in subsequent engagements. He explained, “As part of that process, and given current security conditions, the secretary has decided to place Mission Iraq on ordered departure”. The statement pointed out that ensuring the safety of U.S government personnel and U.S citizens and security of our facilities are our highest priorities. The United States remains committed to partnering with Iraqis to advance our mutual interests.

The recent alert comes following heightened tensions between Washington and Iran. The U.S National Security Adviser John Bolton announced last week that a U.S aircraft carrier strike group, B-52 bombers and a Patriot missile battery would be deployed to the region in response to intelligence suggesting Iran or its proxies were preparing to target U.S interests. Bolton said, “The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime. But we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces”. Bolton didn’t provide any clarification or evidence of these warnings.