On January 3, 2020, the US State Department announced the “ordered departure” of all non-emergency US government personnel from Iraq. The evacuation was prompted by security concerns following a US airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport.
The US government urged American citizens to reconsider travel to Iraq and for those already in the country to depart as soon as possible. The move came amid rising tensions between the US and Iran and was seen as a precaution to protect government personnel against potential retaliatory attacks. Emergency US government personnel, including those at the US Embassy in Baghdad, were not impacted by the order.
