U.S. reducing diplomatic, military presence in Middle East as tensions rise
Global News
The U.S. State Department said it has ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from its embassies in Baghdad, Bahrain and Kuwait following a review.
The United States is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones 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 the option of leaving those countries at government expense and with government assistance.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “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.”
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly confirmed the moves.
“The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review,” Kelly said.
Global News has asked Global Affairs Canada if it is conducting a similar drawdown of Canadian diplomatic staff in the region.
The top U.S. military officer for the Middle East, Gen. Erik Kurilla, was scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, but that testimony has now been postponed, according to the committee’s website. The Pentagon did not have an immediate comment on why Kurilla’s testimony was postponed.
