The U.S. State Department has condemned the massacre of some 1700 Iraqi Shia forces claimed to be carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.
"We condemn these tactics in the strongest possible terms and stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people against these horrendous and senseless acts of violence," a statement by the U.S. State Department said.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki's statement on Sunday deemed such action as "horrifying and a true depiction of the bloodlust that these terrorists represent."
"Terrorists who can commit such heinous acts are a shared enemy of the United States, Iraq, and the international community," the statement said, underscoring the need for political steps by the Iraqi leaders to encourage unity in the country in the face of this threat.
The statement read that the United States will do its part to help Iraq move beyond this crisis and urged all Iraqis to unite against this violence and "continue to reject the path of hatred that ISIL represents."
Since Tuesday, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) led forces, which has developed into a formidable force inside Syria, has extended its reach in Iraq, gaining almost complete control of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit and seizing Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.
The group seized large areas of western Iraq’s Anbar province in January, including much of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, flashpoints of the U.S.-led war in 2003.
Iraq has seen a marked increase in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in recent months, which the Iraqi government blames on ISIL.
Meanwhile, another statement by Psaki on the same day said the U.S. embassy in Baghdad will remain open and "will 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."
Also, the statement said that some additonal U.S. security personnel will be added to the staff in Baghdad, while other staff will be temporarily relocated to U.S. consulate generals in Basra and Erbil and to the Iraq Support Unit in Amman.
The statement cautioned U.S. citizens to limit their travel to provinces of Anbar, Ninawa, Salah ad-Din, Diyala, and Kirkuk provinces. A website was also created to give guidance on traveling in Iraq to U.S. citizens, under the name Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at http://step.state.gov with updates on the latest situation in Iraq.
www.aa.com.tr/en
