WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon was creating a list of Iraqis who had worked alongside U.S. troops, which will be passed to agencies implementing President Donald Trump's executive order restricting entry for people from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries, a spokesman said on Monday.
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, said that over the weekend the White House had "provided the opportunity" to submit names.
"There are a number of people in Iraq who have worked for us in a partnership role, whether fighting alongside us or working as translators, often doing so at great peril to themselves," Davis told reporters.
"We are ensuring that those who have demonstrated their commitment tangibly to fight alongside us and support us, that those names are known in whatever process there is going forward," he added.
It was unclear when the list would be complete and how many names it would include.
Trump's order suspending travel, which he signed on Friday, sparked anger in Iraq, where more than 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed to help Iraqi and regional Kurdish forces in the war against the Islamic State militant group.
Iraq asked the United States on Monday to reconsider the travel ban on its citizens, taking a more diplomatic line than the Iraqi parliament, which demanded the government retaliate.
The Iraqi parliament called on the government to impose "similar treatment" on U.S. nationals.