US Paratroopers Deploy to Embassy in Iraq

Paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s Airborne Division deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad, Wednesday, January 1.

The situation at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq’s capital was quieter Thursday after Iranian-backed paramilitary groups left the area.

The withdrawal brought to a close a two-day standoff that began with militiamen and their supporters attacking the embassy compound, wrecking a reception area, setting several fires and writing graffiti as they protested against U.S. airstrikes on an Iran-backed militia group.

Those strikes, which took place in Iraq and Syria against Kataeb Hezbollah, came in response to the killing of a U.S. contractor in a rocket attack.