Secretary of State Mike Pompeo postponed an upcoming trip that included a stop in Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in order to focus on the security situation in Iraq, the State Department announced Wednesday.
The decision to delay the trip came after a mob of angry protesters linked to an Iran-backed militia stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, smashing their way into the compound and setting fire to a reception area. They laid siege to the embassy for two days before beginning to disperse as security personnel fired tear gas into the crowd.
"Secretary Pompeo must postpone his visit to Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Cyprus due to the need for the Secretary to be in Washington, D.C., to continue monitoring the ongoing situation in Iraq and ensure the safety and security of Americans in the Middle East," the State Department said in a statement.
Pompeo plans to reschedule his trip soon, the statement said.
The mob breached the embassy after U.S. airstrikes killed at least two dozen fighters linked to Kataeb Hezbollah, a militia the U.S. says is supported by Iran's elite Quds Force and is responsible for a rocket attack last week that killed an American contractor and wounded four U.S. service members.
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