United States Defence Secretary Mark Esper has said about 750 troops would be deployed after one of the worst attacks on America’s diplomatic mission in years.
Iran-allied militiamen and supporters had camped out at the gates overnight, a day after breaking into the compound and vandalising a reception area. US troops on Tuesday fired tear gas in response to violent protests at the country’s embassy in Iraq, as militiamen set fire to the building for a second day.
They began to withdraw yesterday as troops came in, heeding a call from the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella group that gathers mainly Shia militia. By evening, all had withdrawn from the perimeter of the compound, the Iraqi military said.
A protest camp has been set up in front of a nearby hotel. Additional forces from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are also prepared to deploy in the next several days. Esper said: “This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today.”