By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) – The State Department warned American citizens on Friday that Iran-linked militias in Iraq may seek to attack hotels frequented by foreigners in Iraqi Kurdistan, as the United States scrambled to help thousands of Americans stranded in the Middle East.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for 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, prompting an airspace closure.
“American citizens in Iraq are strongly urged to leave as soon as they are safely able to do so,” said a warning from the US Embassy in Baghdad. “Americans who choose not to fly should be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time. Have a supply of food, water, medicine and other essentials.”
The alert said commercial flights from Iraq were not currently operating, suggesting ground routes for those wishing to leave the country.
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. is moving thousands of people from countries across the Middle East amid a military conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
“It’s being done quietly but smoothly,” Trump said in a social media post, without elaborating.
The State Department said later Friday that it was continuing to contact Americans in the Middle East to offer charter flights or assistance with ground travel.
“Several flights have safely returned hundreds of Americans to the United States, with additional flights scheduled to take place in the coming days as security conditions permit,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson said the task force “directly assisted nearly 13,000 Americans abroad, offering safety guidance and travel assistance.”
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Ryan Patrick Jones Editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman)
