SAN FRANCISCO, January 03, (THEWILL) – The US State Department has urged its citizens in Iraq to depart “immediately” due to “heightened tensions” in the region.
Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in an airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport, Iraq.
Mr Soleimani was killed alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, also called Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq.
Its statement also told citizens to stay away from the US Embassy in Iraq, which was stormed by pro-Iranian protesters on Tuesday.
A State Department statement added that “due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the US Embassy compound, all consular operations are suspended. US citizens should not approach the Embassy.”
Meanwhile, Iran has condemned the attack and vowed to retaliate. The Iraqi government has also condemned the attack. Both the U.S. and Iran have a lot of influence in Iraq.
Influential Iraqi Shiite clerics and leaders, allied to Iran, have also condemned the attack, with many fearing there might be attacks on ordinary American citizens in Iraq.
