ERBIL — US sources in Iraq said on Sunday night that they had received intelligence indicating that some militias were planning an attack on the US embassy during which they will try to take hostages, a report said.
The source was cited by Al-Hadath Arabic news website soon after other major media outlets said Washington had warned Baghdad that it was planning to fully withdraw from its embassy in Baghdad.
Sky News Arabic also said in a breaking news that the US ambassador to Iraq had left Baghdad for Erbil as Washington was expected to issue the official decision about the Baghdad embassy pull out.
Other reports said two Iraqi officials had confirmed that the Baghdad government was notified that Washington was beginning to take preliminary steps so it could close the embassy over the next few months while retaining its consulate in Erbil.