US Embassy in Baghdad warns Americans in Iraq to leave ‘immediately’

By Mohamed Sio, BAGHDAD Iraq 

The United States Embassy in Baghdad urged American citizens in Iraq to leave the country “immediately” due to escalating security threats.

In a security alert issued Saturday, the embassy said “Iran-aligned terrorist militias” have encouraged and carried out attacks against US citizens and US-linked targets across Iraq, including in the Kurdish Regional Government.

The statement said the militias have repeatedly attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad, which remains closed with limited exceptions.

The embassy also reported repeated attacks near Erbil International Airport and the US Consulate General.

It advised American citizens not to attempt to travel to the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate in Erbil due to the continued risk of rockets, drones, and projectiles in Iraqi airspace.

The embassy reiterated its Level 4 travel advisory—Do Not Travel—for Iraq, warning that “terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict and civil unrest pose significant risks and that the US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to Americans in the country.”

“Do not travel to Iraq for any reason. Leave now if you are there,” the statement warned.

Regional tensions have flared since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”

More US Marines and warships being moved to Middle East, reports say

WASHINGTON, United States 

More United States Marines and warships are being deployed to the Middle East, two officials confirmed to CBS News.

The officials said the reinforcements were to come from an amphibious ready group and its Marine expeditionary unit, with one official adding that the group would be led by the Japan-based USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship.

The unit headed by the USS Tripoli typically consists of around 5,000 sailors and Marines distributed across several warships.

The development comes as President Donald Trump said US forces had "totally obliterated" Iranian military infrastructure on Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil shipping.

Retaliatory Iranian strikes targeting Israel and US military bases across the Middle East have disrupted major hubs for international air travel and caused the price of oil to soar.

Asked when the US Navy would start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told reporters on Friday: "It will happen soon."

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the movement of US personnel, also reported that the request for reinforcements was made by US Central Command, the part of the US military responsible for the Middle East, and approved by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The US is also relocating parts of a missile defence system installed in South Korea to the Middle East, according to officials cited by the Washington Post and South Korean news outlets.

Trump earlier said Iran would be hit "very hard" over the coming week, adding that the war with Iran would be over when "I feel it in my bones".

Hegseth also said the US military would show "no mercy for our enemies".

The Pentagon has said it had already struck 6,000 Iranian targets during the first two weeks of conflict, which began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran's new supreme leader - and son of the former leader - 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran would continue to block the Strait of Hormuz in his first public address on Thursday.

In a statement read out by a newsreader on Iranian state TV, he vowed to "avenge the blood" of Iranians killed in the war with the US and Israel, and warned neighbouring countries to stop hosting US bases.

Ugandan opposition leader flees country due to threats

KAMPALA, Uganda 

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine announced Saturday that he has fled the country to escape a military-led manhunt following January's disputed presidential election, as concerns grow over the safety of the popular politician who challenged longtime leader Yoweri Museveni.

In a video posted on X, an unshaven Wine revealed he had been in hiding for weeks after soldiers raided his home the day after the Jan. 15 vote.

"By the time you see this video I will have left the country," he said, thanking Ugandans who "concealed and protected me." He did not disclose his location but vowed to return "at the right time."

The hunt has been led by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni's son and presumptive heir, who posted threats against Wine on X, calling him a "baboon" and "terrorist."

Police claim they are not seeking Wine, but the army chief has suggested he is wanted for unspecified crimes.

Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, rejects official results giving Museveni 71.6% of the vote.

The 81-year-old president, in power since 1986, is set to be sworn in for a seventh term in May.

Wine's youthful following, frustrated by unemployment and corruption, sees him as a symbol of longed-for political change.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 14/03/2026

 

All six crew members killed after US refuelling plane crashes in Iraq

WASHINGTON, United States 

All six members of a US military refuelling aircraft's crew have now been confirmed dead after it crashed in western Iraq, US Central Command (Centcom) has said.

The US initially said it had located four of the deceased crew. It said neither hostile nor friendly fire were involved in the loss of the KC-135 aircraft on Thursday.

The tanker had been involved in ongoing US operations against Iran and was one of two aircraft involved in the incident. The second landed safely.

The Boeing-manufactured aircraft are capable of refuelling planes midair and play a major role in US military operations. They were used extensively in the first Gulf War to extend the range of fighter jets and bombers.

Centcom said the incident occurred at about 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT) on Thursday and that the circumstances of the crash were now under investigation.

A search and rescue operation was then launched to locate the remaining two crew members.

The US military command unit added that the identities of the personnel who had been killed were being withheld for 24 hours so their next of kin could be notified.

Gen Dan Caine, chair of the US Joint Chiefs, told a news conference on Friday that the plane had crashed "while the crew was on a combat mission".

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the aircraft's crew members as "American heroes", stressing that their "sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission".

The KC-135 usually has a crew of at least a pilot, a co-pilot and a boom operator responsible for controlling the refuelling arm of the aircraft.

Centcom earlier described the crash as happening over friendly airspace - but this is a region of Iraq where pro-Iranian militias operate. Iran's military claimed on state TV that an allied group had targeted the plane with a missile.

Thursday's crash brings the official US military death toll in the US-Israel war with Iran, which began a fortnight ago, to 13.

The US military has now lost at least four aircraft during the current war.

Earlier this month, three F-15s were shot down in "an apparent friendly fire incident" over Kuwait, officials said. All six crew members were able to safely eject.

Boeing manufactured the KC-135 Stratotanker for the US military in the 1950s and early 1960s.

It has been a backbone to the US military's air refuelling fleet, and allow combat aircraft to carry out longer missions without needing to land.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 13/03/2026

 

Iraq suspends oil port operations following attacks on 2 tankers

BAGHDAD, Iraq

Iraq's security and port authorities confirmed Thursday that two oil tankers were attacked within Iraqi territorial waters, prompting a suspension of operations at the country's oil terminals.

Farhan Al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, confirmed the operational status to the official Iraqi News Agency, saying that oil terminal operations have been fully suspended, though commercial port activities continue.

Al-Fartousi noted the vessels were hit by an explosion, though it remains unclear whether it was a direct strike or a waterborne improvised explosive device.

He added that rescue teams were deployed to extinguish the fires on the tankers, which were located approximately 30 miles (about 48 kilometers) off the Iraqi coast.

Meanwhile, Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil confirmed that one tanker was flying the Marshall Islands flag and chartered to an Iraqi company it contracted, while the other was flying the Maltese flag and loaded with condensate from Iraq's Basrah Gas Company.

Lieutenant General Saad Maan, head of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command's Security Media Cell, told Iraqi News Agency that rescue teams evacuated 38 crew members, while one fatality was reported.

The accident came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional proxies responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. interests throughout the Middle East. 

Real Madrid punish Man City as Valverde steps up for the team

MADRID, Spain 

When Manchester City fans saw the Real Madrid line-up for Wednesday's last-16 tie, they will have been delighted Kylian Mbappe's name was missing altogether.

But what they didn't anticipate was Federico Valverde having the game of his life in the first-leg tie at the Bernabeu.

When the Uruguayan scores it is often a spectacular strike, but in general Valverde is not known for his goalscoring prowess, especially when he has been utilised at right-back rather than midfield to cover injury absences.

Indeed, before City's visit the 27-year-old had not found the net in his previous 26 Champions League games and never scored more than one in a game in the competition.

But in 42 fabulous first-half minutes, he celebrated a first career hat-trick.

It was a sensational display by Valverde, who captained Real on the night and led by example in a crucial game for the 15-time European champions.

The reactions of team-mates Jude Bellingham and Mbappe - both out injured and watching from the stands - to the goals said it all.

England midfielder Bellingham stood open mouthed when Valverde scored his brilliant third, lifting the ball over City defender Marc Guehi before lashing a volley past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Mbappe jumped out of his seat to applaud a finish the prolific France striker would have been proud of.

"It was a similar [reaction] from me on the pitch," Real full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold said on TNT Sports.

"I've said even as a Liverpool player I have admired him. He is undoubtedly the most underrated footballer on the planet.

"When you play with him you understand how much he gives to the team. He covers every blade of grass, he gives his all. As a player, the best attribute you can have is that your team-mates can always count on you.“

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 12/03/2026