President Obama Monday ordered up to 275 U.S. military personnel to Iraq to protect and defend embassy staff amid a violent insurgency by al-Qaeda linked terrorists.
Mr. Obama notified Congress of his decision to send U.S. service members to help with the temporary relocation of embassy staff from Baghdad, which is being threatened by the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Some staff are being relocated to U.S. consulates in Basra and Erbil and to the Iraq Support Unit in Amman, Jordan.
“These U.S. military personnel are entering Iraq with the consent of the Government of Iraq,” the White House said. “The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad remains open, and 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.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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