By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) – The State Department on Friday warned US citizens that Iran-aligned militias in Iraq may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as the US scrambled to help thousands of Americans stranded in the Middle East.
The Trump administration has faced criticism over its planning and initial assistance to US citizens trying to leave the region since US-Israeli strikes began on Saturday and Iran responded with attacks on its neighbors, sparking airspace closures.
“US citizens in Iraq are strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so,” an alert from the US embassy in Baghdad said. “Americans choosing not to depart should be prepared to shelter in place in a secure location for extended periods. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items.”
The alert said that commercial flights were currently not operating out of Iraq, suggesting overland routes for those willing to leave the country.
President Donald Trump on Friday said the US is moving thousands of people out of countries throughout the Middle East amid the military conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.
“It is being done quietly, but seamlessly,” Trump said in a social media post without providing further details.
The State Department said later on Friday that it was continuing to contact Americans in the Middle East to offer charter flights or ground travel assistance.
“Several flights have safely returned hundreds of Americans to the United States with additional flights scheduled to take place over the coming days, as security conditions allow,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson said a task force has “directly assisted nearly 13,000 Americans abroad, offering security guidance and travel assistance.”
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Ryan Patrick Jones, editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman)
