Browse down for updates.
~.~
It is interesting to read how the State Department describes its “review of staffing requirements,” in view of developments in Iraq and how the New York Times reports on them.
Granted, the Times has access to more loquacious and plainspoken sources.
Nevertheless, the avoidance of the term “evacuation” by State is interesting.
Press Statement by Jen Psaki, Department Spokesperson:
The United States strongly supports Iraq and its people as they face security challenges from violent extremists. The people of Iraq have repeatedly rejected violent extremism and expressed their desire to build a better society for themselves and for their children.
.
The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad remains open and will continue to engage daily with Iraqis and their elected leaders – supporting them as they strengthen Iraq’s constitutional processes and defend themselves from imminent threats.
.
As a result of ongoing instability and violence in certain areas of Iraq, Embassy Baghdad is reviewing its staffing requirements in consultation with the State Department. Some additional U.S. government security personnel will be added to the staff in Baghdad; other staff will be temporarily relocated – both to our Consulate Generals in Basra and Erbil and to the Iraq Support Unit in Amman. Overall, a substantial majority of the U.S. Embassy presence in Iraq will remain in place and the Embassy will be fully equipped to carry out its national security mission.
.
We advise U.S. citizens in Iraq to exercise caution and limit travel to Anbar, Ninawa, Salah ad-Din, Diyala, and Kirkuk provinces; make their own contingency emergency plans; and maintain security awareness at all times. We also encourage all U.S. citizens in Iraq to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at http://step.state.gov in order to receive the latest updates from the Department.
Under the headline “U.S. Orders Evacuation of Many Embassy Workers From Baghdad,” the Times provides the following summary:
The American Embassy in Baghdad plans to evacuate a substantial number of its personnel this week in the face of a militant advance that rapidly swept from the north toward the capital, the State Department announced on Sunday.
.
The embassy, a beige fortress on the banks of the Tigris River within the heavily-secured Green Zone, where Iraqi government buildings are also located, has the largest staff of any United States Embassy.
.
The exact number of people being evacuated was not clear Sunday. The embassy would remain open, a person familiar with the planning said, and much of its staff of about 5,500 would stay in Baghdad. The American government is expected to call the move a relocation, suggesting that it is a temporary precaution, the person said.
Read more on the evacuation/relocation here
Update I:
Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today that, at the State Department’s request, the U.S. military is providing security assistance for U.S. diplomatic facilities in Baghdad.
This includes a small number of Defense Department personnel augmenting State Department security assets in Baghdad to help ensure the safety of U.S. facilities.
“The temporary relocation of some embassy personnel is being facilitated aboard commercial, charter and State Department aircraft, as appropriate,” Kirby added. “The U.S. military has airlift assets at the ready should State Department request them, as per normal inter-agency support arrangements.”
Update II:
American Forces Press Service:
“At the request of the State Department, the Defense Department continues to provide security assistance for U.S. Embassy personnel in Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.
Over the weekend, a number of teams totaling about 170 U.S. personnel began arriving in Baghdad from within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Kirby said in a statement. DOD also has moved about 100 personnel into the region to provide airfield management, security and logistics support, if required, he added. “All of these forces are trained to integrate with existing U.S. Embassy security teams or operate as a standalone force as directed,” the press secretary said.
Kirby said the safety of people serving in diplomatic missions abroad is among the Defense Department’s highest priorities. “The presence of these additional forces will help enable the State Department to continue their critical diplomatic mission and work with Iraqis on challenges they are facing,” he added.”
Lead Photo: Flag-raising at dedication ceremony for new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq (U.S. State Department – Courtesy Eric Brooks/U.S. Embassy Baghdad)
