Originally published at The Examiner
Inside sources at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad indicate Special Forces troops were cleared for entry inside the compound approximately six hours ago. Of note, the source did not say if those elite forces were from the United States or QUDs, the Iranian Special Forces that have been deployed to the region to help quell the violence.
Overnight the government changed some talking points on the number of U.S. troops on their way to give Americans in Iraq an assist. As late as midnight, Eastern Time last night, the Pentagon indicated there had been an additional 100 U.S. Marines scrambled to the embassy. This morning, major news sources are saying there are 500 U.S. Marines and a small contingent of U.S. Soldiers on their way to the Persian Gulf.
The Department of Defense released news this morning that the amphibious transport dock ship U.S.S. Mesa Verde, powering into the Persian Gulf, has already passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The ship is designed to deliver a fully equipped battalion of up to 800 Marines as well as a “full complement” of MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
At the heart of the violence is the multimillion dollar backed ISIS terrorist group that has already toppled some of Iraq’s largest cities: Mosul, Fallujah, Ramadi, and Tikrit.
News sources this morning have released graphic photos of mass killings perpetrated by the band of terrorists; some far too brutal for mainstream viewers.
Of note, many embassy personnel and U.S. contractors have been safely evacuated to less restive parts of Iraq, such as Erbil, and into neighboring Jordan. Latest news reported that the Baghdad International Airport is still operable and ready for commercial evacuation flights and U.S. State Department planes.
Iraqis have disabled all internet connections to the embassy. Cell phone text messages/SMS still have sporadic transmission.
