Washington decides to reduce the number of its diplomats in Iraq
Washington decides to reduce the number of its diplomats in Iraq
12/3/2020 12:19
[Baghdad-Where]
Two senior Iraqi officials told “AFP”, on Wednesday night, that the United States is going to reduce the number of diplomats working in its embassy in Baghdad “in a temporary security measure.”
And the American Politico magazine reported earlier, Wednesday, that the administration of President Donald Trump had decided to withdraw about half the number of diplomats from the US embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Politico said US officials, one of them in the State Department, had confirmed that the withdrawal of the diplomats would be temporary.
In light of the escalating tension between the United States and Iran, the date of the return of diplomats to the embassy in Baghdad remains unknown, according to the magazine.
The embassy and other US military sites in Iraq have been targeted by dozens of missiles this year.
In a statement to France Press, a senior Iraqi official attributed the decision to reduce the number of US diplomatic personnel to security concerns.
“It is a small cut, based on security reservations on the American side. They can return – this is a temporary security measure,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
“We knew this in advance, and a high-level diplomatic staff, including the ambassador, will remain. This is not severing diplomatic ties,” he added.
A second senior Iraqi official confirmed that the US measure aims to “reduce the risks.”
None of the Iraqi officials specified the number of people concerned with the decision to withdraw them from Baghdad, noting that hundreds of American diplomats work in the embassy.
For his part, a spokesperson for the US State Department refused to comment on the matter, but stressed that the safety of US diplomats, citizens, and facilities in Iraq “remains our top priority.”
alliraqnews.com
