Akrotiri, Cyprus. The US State Department on Sunday said it did not “abandon” its people after it was confirmed that several US officials left Iraq on a British military aircraft that landed at the British Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus.
State Department response
“The characterisation of the United States abandoning its people is false. There is no higher priority than the safety of our people,” a State Department spokesperson told the Cyprus Mail.
The spokesperson said the department had initially ordered non-emergency US government employees to leave Iraq due to threats from Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militias, likely preceding their flight aboard the British military aircraft. They added that they “cannot comment on specific operational details”.
“As a general matter, the US mission in Iraq continues to implement all needed steps to ensure the safety of our diplomatic personnel and facilities,” the spokesperson said.
Condemnation of attacks and talks with Iraqi government
The spokesperson said the US government “strongly condemns Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias’ attacks on diplomatic, military and civilian infrastructure in Iraq”, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani are “taking all possible measures to safeguard US diplomatic personnel and facilities”.
“There must be urgent action to dismantle Iran-aligned terrorist militias, halt their attacks, and ensure they cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States and the region,” the spokesperson said.
British defence ministry confirmation
The statements followed confirmation by a spokesperson for the British defence ministry that US officials, including some consular staff and others referred to as “contractors”, had flown from the Harir airbase to Akrotiri.
The aircraft had been scheduled to fly from Erbil to Akrotiri to transport equipment, but the US officials requested to board the flight because there were “insufficient American air assets in the region” at the time.
Repatriation after arrival in Cyprus
While the British government could not initially confirm whether the US officials had since left Cyprus, other sources close to the matter told the Cyprus Mail they have since been repatriated.
What impact do you think the reported lack of American air assets in the region could have on future evacuations?
