Security beefed up at US embassy in Baghdad
WASHINGTON - Security at the US embassy in Baghdad was bolstered and some staff members were being moved out of Iraq's capital city as it was threatened by the advance of by an al-Qaeda inspired insurgency, a State Department spokeswoman said Sunday.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that much of the US embassy staff will stay in place even as parts of the country experience instability and violence. She did not specify the number of personnel affected by the shift. The embassy is within Baghdad's Green Zone. It has about 5,000 personnel, making it the largest US diplomatic post in the world.
"Overall, a substantial majority of the US Embassy presence in Iraq will remain in place and the embassy will be fully equipped to carry out its national security mission," she said. (AP)
