Americans being evacuated from Iraqi air base

WASHINGTON (AP) - Officials say three planeloads of Americans are being evacuated from a major Iraqi air base in Sunni territory north of Baghdad to escape potential threats from a fast-moving insurgency. <br /> <br /> A current U.S. official and a former senior Obama administration official say that means the American training mission at the air field in Balad has been grounded indefinitely. <br /> <br /> Twelve U.S. personnel who were stationed at Balad were the first to be evacuated. Several hundred American contractors are still waiting to leave. <br /> <br /> They have been training Iraqi forces to use fighter jets and surveillance drones. <br /> <br /> Other U.S. contractors at a tank training ground in the city of Taji (TAH'-jee) is still ongoing for now. <br /> <br /> The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they refused to be named in discussing the sensitive situation.

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