Morgan Ortagus

Turkish officials and international leaders condemned a terrorist attack by the YPG in Afrin in northwestern Syria that killed dozens of civilians, including children on April 28.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iraq today that the United States will respond inevitably to new attacks on Americans following a series of deadly attacks on a military base in Iraq, AFP reported.

A military base in Iraq with US troops was attacked once again. There were no casualties, world agencies reported, citing a communique by Iraqi armed forces.

Today, Katyusha rockets targeted the Taji military camp, located north of Baghdad.

The incidents come amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran .

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu discussed the latest developments in the Middle East with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo over the phone on Jan. 12.

Pompeo "reiterated the need for NATO to play a greater role in the region and stressed the U.S. commitment to the UN-facilitated peace process in Syria," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

The United States is not discussing the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, France press and Reuters reported.

Agencies cited a statement today by US Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo postponed a planned trip to Central Asia and Cyprus to deal with the ongoing developments out of Baghdad, the State Department announced on Jan. 1.

The breach of the US Embassy compound in Baghdad has prompted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to postpone his trip to Ukraine and four other countries.

Pompeo was to arrive in Ukraine late Thursday in his first visit to the country at the center of President Donald Trump's impeachment, then on to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Cyprus.

Washington has once again expressed "deep concerns" over Turkey's insistence on conducting drilling operations in Cyprus' offshore maritime zone, known as an EEZ.

Delivery of parts of the Russian S-400 defense system will continue in coming days, the Turkish Defence Industry Directorate said on Friday.

Turkey's defense ministry had earlier said that the first parts of the S-400 defense system were delivered to Ankara on Friday. 

The United States has said that Turkey's most recent dispatch of the drillship Yavuz to conduct drilling operations off the Karpas Peninsula of Cyprus is a "provocative step" and has urged Turkish authorities to halt these operations, Cyprus Mail reported.