United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper released a statement late on Tuesday night saying the U.S. military had taken “appropriate force protection actions to ensure the safety of American citizens, military personnel, and diplomats in country.”
Iran-backed protesters surrounded the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve, chanting “death to America” and setting small fires before President Trump dispatched 100 Marines from Kuwait to help stabilize the situation. Trump later tweeted that Iran would “pay a very BIG PRICE” for the attack on the embassy.
Esper’s statement claims that more troops will be mobilized to secure the diplomatic center. “We are sending additional forces to support our personnel at the Embassy,” read the force protection statement.
The memo included images of Apache helicopters, Marines preparing for deployment, and arrival at the base in Baghdad.
“As in all countries, we rely on host nation forces to assist in the protection of our personnel in country, and we call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its international responsibilities to do so,” Esper said. “The United States continues to support the Iraqi people and a free, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq.”
