PM al-Mahdi assured safety of US personnel in Iraq: Michael Pompeo

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Thursday said that Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abd al-Mahdi has assured security of US personnel, amid violent protest outside US embassy in Baghdad.

"Spoke today with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Mahdi, who agreed that Iraq would continue to uphold its responsibility to keep US personnel secure and would move the Iran-backed attackers away from US Embassy in Baghdad. We'll continue cooperation to hold Iran and its proxies responsible," wrote Pompeo in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State postponed his visit to Ukraine, after its embassy in Iraq was besieged by Shiite protesters after airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

Pompeo also said that legitimate efforts of Iraqi protesters since October last year against corruption in Iraq should not be confused with "the Iranian regime orchestrated attack, conducted by terrorists against the US embassy in Baghdad."

Moreover, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus apprised about the current development in Iraq, saying, "The situation around embassy in Baghdad has improved," but that effort by Iraqi government security forces "to clear militia members from the area immediately surrounding the embassy continue."

Protesters broke into the US embassy compound in Baghdad, smashed windows, set fire to outbuildings following US air-strikes at five facilities linked to Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq and Syria.