US Allows Unessential People To Leave Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is drawing down the presence of people who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East due to the potential for regional unrest. The State Department said it has ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the American Embassy in Baghdad. The department also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them an option to leave those countries. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also “has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations” across the region.