US troops being deployed to Baghdad
US President Barack Obama says up to 275 troops are being deployed to Iraq to protect Americans in the region.
The force, which began deploying on Sunday, has been sent "for the purpose of protecting US citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat," Obama wrote.
"This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed."
The move comes as jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) battle Iraqi security forces for control of a strategic northern town and Washington weighs possible drone strikes against the militants.
The ISIL fighters have taken control of a swath of territory north of Baghdad in a drive towards the Iraqi capital launched a week ago.
The White House said in a statement that the US military personnel would help the State Department relocate some embassy staff from Baghdad to the consulates in Arbil and Basra, as well as Amman.
Iraqi policemen search men at a checkpoint on the borders between Karbala city and Ramadi city, south of Iraq. Photo: AAP
It added that the embassy remained open, and that most personnel were to remain in place in Baghdad.
The troops were entering Iraq with the consent of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Australia's elite SAS soldiers are reportedly ready to move into Baghdad to rescue diplomats if fighting reaches the Iraqi capital.
The United States has announced its considering airstrikes as Islamic militants seized another key city in the country's north.
