The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, pulled all of its personnel out of Iraq due to the war in Iran.
The final staffers who are part of NATO Mission Iraq, which launched in the country in October 2018, left the country Friday.
Iraq sits directly to the west of Iran, where the conflict in Iran kicked off on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.
“I would also like to thank the dedicated men and women of NATO Mission Iraq, who continued their mission throughout this period,” Grynkewich said. “They are true professionals.”
NATO Mission Iraq will continue from the Joint Force Command Naples in Italy.
Trump called NATO allies “cowards” on Friday as he criticized their lack of support for the war against the Iranian regime.
“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday. “They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz.”
“AH-64s have been striking against Iranian-aligned militia groups to make sure that we suppress any threat in Iraq against U.S. forces or U.S. interests,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a March 19 press briefing.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision to expand the conflict into Iraq, saying that the Iranian regime has a mission to “kill Americans in Iraq.”
The flight crew was identified as Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28.
The embassy warned U.S. citizens to stay away from the embassy due to risks of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace.
The State Department first issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory on March 2 due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and the U.S. government’s limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Iraq.
