In Response to Iran's Retaliatory Attack... UK and Others Closely Monitor for "No Civilian Casualties"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] In response to Iran's attack on a U.S. base in Iraq on the 8th (local time) as retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, major countries including the United Kingdom and Canada are closely monitoring the situation.

According to CNN, British foreign authorities stated, "We are urgently taking action to verify the facts regarding the local situation in Iraq," adding, "The top priority is the safety of British nationals." Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Canadian Defence Staff, also posted on his Twitter that all Canadians are safe despite the missile attack in Iraq on the same day. He emphasized, "I can assure that all deployed Canadian military personnel are safe," and "We remain vigilant and have not lowered our guard."

Earlier, both the UK and Canada had indicated that they might withdraw their troops deployed in Iraq to respect the safety of their nationals and Iraq's sovereignty. Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence, stated that British forces stationed locally could be withdrawn if Iraq requests it. There are 400 British troops deployed in Iraq. Canada also announced plans to temporarily relocate part of its 500-strong unit stationed in Iraq to Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed that all diplomatic staff and military personnel in Iraq are safe. In a press conference, he said he has been closely monitoring the situation over the past few days. In a statement, he said he instructed the military to take all necessary actions to protect the safety of Australian nationals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.