Britain's Baghdad embassy evacuated

British diplomats have quit their Baghdad embassy after a "credible threat" of attack.

British diplomats have quit their Baghdad embassy after a "credible threat" of attack.

The team, led by head of mission Mr Chris Segar, evacuated the building the day after the truck bombing of the UN headquarters which killed 23 people.

The group, which includes security guards and contract workers, are now staying at the coalition provisional authority in the city.

The compound is heavily guarded by US troops reports The Times.

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A Foreign Office official said: "We received information and subsequently relocated the staff to the security of the CPA. They are still there now."

The evacuation comes as Britain and the US are seeking to increase the number of countries contributing troops to Iraq.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has called the blast a "wake up call" to the world and suggested a new UN resolution ahead of his visit to the organisation's New York headquarters.

But Secretary General Kofi Annan last night warned it would be "very difficult" to pass a new resolution expanding military forces unless the UN is given a broader role.

Critics of the war in Iraq such as France and Germany have been reluctant to contribute to what they view as an occupying force.