US evacuates some consulate staff from Iraqi city of Arbil

Washington: The United States has evacuated some of its staff members from the Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil, the State Department said, amid an offensive by Islamist militants. The notice announcing "the departure of some staff from the consulate general in Arbil" came in the latest State Department travel warning for Iraq yesterday. It did not give any details on the number of people or what their roles were.