--- description: State department is taking action as militant extremist group ISIS expands its reach and heads toward the city title: State Department Upping Baghdad Embassy Security as ISIS Expands image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc95db44f12e468af/698697b6cd6848c80b09538f/rtr2v842.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iraq](/tag/iraq/) ## Iraq Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # State Dept Will Beef Up Security at Baghdad Embassy  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 15, 2014 9:05 PM CUT  A U.S. flag flies in front of the Annex I building inside the compound of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad December 14, 2011. A U.S. flag flies in front of the Annex I building inside the compound of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad December 14, 2011.Lucas Jackson—Reuters  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 15, 2014 9:05 PM CUT The U.S. State Department announced Sunday that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will stay open as militant extremists in Iraq continue their offensive toward the city, but it will also take a number of increased security measures to protect its staff. “As a result of ongoing instability and violence in certain areas of Iraq, Embassy Baghdad is reviewing its staffing requirements in consultation with the State Department,” spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement. The State Department said it will increase the number of security personnel in Baghdad, while other embassy staff members will be relocated to the Consulate Generals in Erbil and Basra as well as the Iraq Support Unit in Amman, Jordan. Most of the embassy staff will remain on site and “continue to engage daily with Iraqis and their elected leaders — supporting them as they strengthen Iraq’s constitutional processes and defend themselves from imminent threats.” The Pentagon also announced that the U.S. military would provide security assistance to diplomats stationed in Baghdad. “A small number of DOD personnel are augmenting State Department security assets in Baghdad to help ensure the safety of our facilities,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby. The move to beef up security in Iraq comes after the State Department faced criticism over its lack of security at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which was overrun by militants in a 2012 attack that killed 4 Americans including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. But the embassy compound in Iraq has both a far heavier military presence and stronger fortifications than the Benghazi compound had. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2879053/state-dept-will-beef-up-security-at-baghdad-embassy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2879053/state-dept-will-beef-up-security-at-baghdad-embassy/"},"headline":"State Dept Will Beef Up Security at Baghdad Embassy","datePublished":"2014-06-15T21:05:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:25:36.617Z","description":"Taking action as militant extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) expands its reach and heads toward the city","url":"https://time.com/2879053/state-dept-will-beef-up-security-at-baghdad-embassy/","keywords":["Iraq","ISIS","Benghazi","Baghdad","State Department"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc95db44f12e468af/698697b6cd6848c80b09538f/rtr2v842.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc95db44f12e468af/698697b6cd6848c80b09538f/rtr2v842.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A U.S. flag flies in front of the Annex I building inside the compound of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad","caption":"A U.S. flag flies in front of the Annex I building inside the compound of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad","creditText":"Lucas Jackson—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iraq/","name":"Iraq"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2879053/state-dept-will-beef-up-security-at-baghdad-embassy/","name":"State Dept Will Beef Up Security at Baghdad Embassy"}}]}] ```