Updated

Delaware National Guard officials say state Attorney General Beau Biden left the U.S. Wednesday for duty in Iraq.

Guard spokesman Nathan Bright says Biden's unit left Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and will have a layover in Kuwait to adjust to the climate before traveling to Iraq.

Bright says Biden is a prosecutor for the 261st Signal Brigade and its subordinate units, which contain about 1,200 soldiers.

The unit is due back in Delaware next September.

Earlier this week, Biden said he would not accept an appointment to his father's Senate seat. Joe Biden is expected to resign shortly to serve as vice president of the United States.