A detachment of 100 Marines are reinforcing the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, after Iraq protesters supportive of an Iran-backed Shiite militia attempted to storm the compound, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
The Marines were requested by the U.S. State Department and their deployment was approved by Iraqi Security Forces, Central Command spokesman Mike Lawhorn told Military Times by phone Tuesday. Two Apache attack helicopters are providing over watch.
The Marines are part of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces Crisis Response — Central Command and came from Kuwait, according to a tweet from the Marine unit. The helicopters came from Taji, Iraq, Lawhorn said.
