On 2nd April, the US Embassy in Baghdad advised American citizens to depart Iraq immediately, and indicated that they could face an attack in the capital within the next 24 to 48 hours.

In a security alert issued on the US social media platform X, the embassy indicated that the Iraqi militias aligned with Iran are likely to launch attacks in the central city of Baghdad against US citizens and interests.

It said that potential targets might be Americans, companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels and airports, and Iraqi institutions and civilian sites that are deemed to have been associated with the United States.

The embassy observed that in the past, Americans have been kidnapped by the militias, and it advised its citizens to leave the country immediately.

The alert advised people “not to travel to Iraq at all and to leave as soon as they arrive.”

It also gave a warning that the Iraqi government has failed to stop attacks within or outside its borders, and that some of the members of the militias are “possibly connected with the institutions of the state or possess official documents.”

The United States accuses certain groups of Iraqi militants of having connections with Iran and being involved in attacks on US bases within the region.

The US and Israel have had an airstrike against Iran since Feb. 28, killing, up to now, more than 1,340 individuals, including the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks against Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states where US military resources are stationed, killing people and destroying infrastructure, as well as destabilising world markets and air travel.