US advises citizens not to travel to Iraq after recent attacks on US personnel

The US State Department said on Sunday US citizens should not travel to Iraq after recent attacks on American troops and personnel in the region.

The travel advisory says: "Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens."

There has been a spike in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria since the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza broke out. Last week, a US warship shot down more than a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen.

The advisory followed the ordered departure of eligible family members and non-emergency US government personnel from US Embassy Baghdad and US Consulate General Erbil "due to increased security threats against US personnel and interests", the State Department said in a statement.

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The statement added that anti-US militias "threaten US citizens and international companies" throughout Iraq. Earlier on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said they saw the prospect of a significant escalation in attacks on American troops in the Middle East and of Iran seeking to widen the Israel-Hamas war.

Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel has since retaliated with deadly air strikes on Gaza, a 45 km-long strip of land that is part of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and home to 2.3 million people that has been ruled politically since 2007 by Hamas. Israel's air strikes have killed over 4,700 people, Palestinian officials say.

The US will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system and additional Patriot air defence missile system battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Saturday.