US reduces the presence of people not deemed essential to work in the Middle East as tensions rise
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is drawing down the presence of people who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East due to the potential for regional unrest, the State Department and military said Wednesday.
The State Department said it has ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad based on its latest review and a commitment “to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad.” The embassy already had been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel.
The department, however, also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. That gives them an option on whether to leave those countries.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also “has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations” across the region, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The command “is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/state-department-embassy-baghdad-f892ebd6a50850ef5650f31819541bff