Some embassy staff members have been temporarily moved elsewhere to more stable places at consulates in Basra in the Shiite-dominated south of Iraq and Irbil in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region in northeastern Iraq and to Jordan, she said.
'Due to the relocation of personnel from Baghdad, the embassy will only be restricted in its ability to offer all consular services; but emergency services are always available to U.S. citizens in need at any embassy or consulate anywhere in the world,' Psaki said, as she warned Americans to limit travel in the region.
Many American contractors, such as those training Iraq's military and police forces, have already pulled their personnel out of the country after fighters, who are predominantly Sunni Muslims - a large minority in Iraq - took Mosul, the country's second-largest city.
The group's progress has slowed as they approach the capital - and thousands of Iraqis have begun taking up arms and volunteering to fight alongside the Iraqi army to defend Baghdad.
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