In the nearly 10 days since the State Department directed non-emergency government employees to leave Iraq amid the war with Iran, the U.S. has struggled to remove all personnel impacted by the order from potential danger, two U.S. officials tell ABC News.<\/p>\n
Officials say U.S. diplomatic missions across the Middle East were given little warning in the run up to the strikes, and that even though conditions in countries like Iraq quickly deteriorated to a point where an ordered departure for non-emergency personnel would be expected, days passed before the orders were formally issued.<\/p>\n
Military flights to remove personnel from Baghdad, where the U.S. embassy is located, were delayed by several days after the order was issued due to hazardous security conditions, the officials said.<\/p>\n
![\"Baghdad\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/58cff432-ddfb-458d-b10d-5b0b4da0ebdc\/us-embassy-baghdad-gty-jt-260311_1773265001107_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Baghdad\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>The US embassy headquarters in Iraq is pictured in Baghdad’s fortified “Green Zone” on March 8, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ahmad Al-Rubaye\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Diplomatic staff at the American consulate in Erbil were also forced to shelter-in-place when the facility came under attack from Iran before they were ultimately flown out of the country by the British Royal Air Force due to constraints on the U.S. military, which would normally carry out such a mission, according to the officials.<\/p>\n The U.K. Ministry of Defense confirmed to ABC News that the RAF carried “a number of US consulate staff and contractors, at their request” from Iraq to Cyprus.<\/p>\n “We cannot comment on specific operational details, but as a general matter, U.S. Mission Iraq continues to implement all needed steps to ensure the safety of our diplomatic personnel and facilities,” a State Department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n On the timing of ordered departures, a department official said decisions “are based on real-time security assessments between Washington” and diplomatic posts.<\/p>\n “In this case, once Embassy Baghdad requested ordered departure, the department approved that request within hours in order to reduce our footprint and protect personnel,” the official said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though heavily fortified, American diplomatic facilities in Iraq have been under near-constant attack from Iran and its proxy militia groups since the U.S. initiated military action against Iran on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n A drone was intercepted in the sky near the former U.S. consulate and the airport at around 4:30 pm, in Erbil, Northern Iraq, on March 1, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Pauline Gauer\/SIPA via Shutterstock<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On Wednesday, a major diplomatic support facility in Baghdad was hit by a suspected drone attack, according to another official, who said the damage assessment was ongoing.<\/p>\n “We can confirm the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center was targeted by Iran-backed terrorist militias overnight,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We remain in close contact with the Government of Iraq regarding steps to protect U.S. personnel and facilities.”<\/p>\n Three security guards were taken to the hospital after the attack, according to two State Department officials familiar with the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n The guards were taken to the hospital for medical evaluation due to their “proximity to the impact sites,” one official said.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s unclear whether they were discharged from the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n The diplomatic support facility is guarded by locally hired contractors, not direct U.S. government hires. All U.S. government personnel are believed to be accounted for.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite repeated urging from the U.S. that the Iraqi government step up efforts to defend American interests in the country, officials say the Trump administration has been disappointed by the response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ministry](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/457f68c5-2800-4292-965b-72b0ba39f41d\/erbil-ss-jt-260311_1773265244650_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Ministry")
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