Set Up Tents Until Americans Leave
BAGHDAD (Kayhan Intl.) – Iraqis attacked the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, breaching its outer wall and chanting "Death to America” and "Death to Israel” in anger over weekend airstrikes that killed two dozen anti-terror fighters.
It was the first time in years protesters have been able to reach the US. embassy, which is sheltered behind a series of checkpoints in the high-security Green Zone.
Men and women marched through those checkpoints to the embassy walls with no apparent reaction from Iraqi security forces.
After the protesters destroyed the main gate of the compound, a reception area in the embassy caught fire and U.S. service members were spotted on the roof of the embassy, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. President Donald Trump in a Twitter message accused Iran of "orchestrating” the attack, but also said he expected Iraq "to use its forces to protect the embassy”.
The demonstrators waved flags in support of the Hashd al-Sha’abi, a network of Iraqi armed groups that were crucial to the Arab country’s defeat of Daesh terrorists, and are now integrated to Iraq’s armed forces.
They threw rocks and wrenched security cameras off the walls, ignoring calls over megaphones to leave the embassy compound.
U.S. guards fired an initial volley of bullets, then switched to tear gas and flash bang stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Iraqi authorities said at least 62 people were wounded.
Following an appeal by caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, some of the crowd pulled back but others set up tents, swearing to pursue a sit-in.
Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesman for Kata’eb Hezbollah, said the protesters had no intention of storming the embassy. He told the AP that the sit-in will continue "until American troops leave Iraq and the embassy is closed.”
Yassine al-Yasseri, Iraq’s interior minister, appeared outside the embassy at one point and walked around to inspect the scene. He told the AP that the prime minister had warned the U.S. that strikes on the Iraqi fighters would have serious consequences.
"This is one of the implications,” al-Yasseri said. "This is a problem and is embarrassing to the government.”
The demonstrators were protesting U.S. airstrikes that killed at least 25 fighters from anti-terror Kata’eb Hezbollah on Sunday.
"Americans are unwanted in Iraq. They are a source of evil and we want them to leave,” Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq anti-terror group, told Reuters.
The United States has around 5,200 troops deployed across Iraq to purportedly train security forces and prevent any resurgence of Daesh, but in reality it has been targeting Iraq’s popular groups fighting Takfiri terrorists.
Following the U.S. airstrikes, the Iraqi government announced three days of mourning while Kata’eb Hezbollah and other anti-terror factions in the Hashd al-Sha’abi demanded the "withdrawal of the American enemy”.
Protesters echoed those calls on Tuesday, carrying posters reading: "Parliament should oust U.S. troops, or else we will.” Others carried banners with Trump’s face crossed out.
They scrawled "No to America!” and "Soleimani is my commander” on the embassy walls, referring to a leading commander in Iran’s Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Tehran’s pointman for Iraq, Major General Qasem Soleimani who is hugely popular among Iraqis for helping defeat Daesh.
The U.S. embassy in Iraq is already operating at a fraction of its full diplomatic staffing after the State Department pulled out non-essential employees in May.
U.S. ambassador Matthew Tueller has been outside Iraq for two weeks on holiday but other staff were present and had not been evacuated, a diplomatic source told AFP.
The U.S. shut down its consulate in the southern port city of Basra last year. It still operates a consulate in the northern city of Arbil.
Ties between Washington and Baghdad are fraying fast, with Abdel Mahdi’s government threatening to summon the U.S. ambassador.
Dozens of lawmakers also called on the government to review an agreement allowing the U.S. troop deployment, saying the strikes amount to a violation of sovereignty that renders the pact obsolete.
The United States remained obstinate, accusing Iraq of failing to "protect” U.S. interests in the country after rockets allegedly killed a "civilian contractor” in a military base near Baghdad.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that a contingent of 100 additional Marines and two Apache helicopters were expected to go to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
"This may well be the low point of U.S. policy in Iraq,” said Iraq expert Fanar Haddad of Singapore University’s Middle East Institute.
The developments "represent a major downturn in Iraq-U.S. relations that could further undermine U.S. influence in the region and American troops in Iraq, and also weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran,” the Associated Press said.
It was the first time in years protesters have been able to reach the US. embassy, which is sheltered behind a series of checkpoints in the high-security Green Zone.
Men and women marched through those checkpoints to the embassy walls with no apparent reaction from Iraqi security forces.
After the protesters destroyed the main gate of the compound, a reception area in the embassy caught fire and U.S. service members were spotted on the roof of the embassy, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. President Donald Trump in a Twitter message accused Iran of "orchestrating” the attack, but also said he expected Iraq "to use its forces to protect the embassy”.
The demonstrators waved flags in support of the Hashd al-Sha’abi, a network of Iraqi armed groups that were crucial to the Arab country’s defeat of Daesh terrorists, and are now integrated to Iraq’s armed forces.
They threw rocks and wrenched security cameras off the walls, ignoring calls over megaphones to leave the embassy compound.
U.S. guards fired an initial volley of bullets, then switched to tear gas and flash bang stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Iraqi authorities said at least 62 people were wounded.
Following an appeal by caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, some of the crowd pulled back but others set up tents, swearing to pursue a sit-in.
Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesman for Kata’eb Hezbollah, said the protesters had no intention of storming the embassy. He told the AP that the sit-in will continue "until American troops leave Iraq and the embassy is closed.”
Yassine al-Yasseri, Iraq’s interior minister, appeared outside the embassy at one point and walked around to inspect the scene. He told the AP that the prime minister had warned the U.S. that strikes on the Iraqi fighters would have serious consequences.
"This is one of the implications,” al-Yasseri said. "This is a problem and is embarrassing to the government.”
The demonstrators were protesting U.S. airstrikes that killed at least 25 fighters from anti-terror Kata’eb Hezbollah on Sunday.
"Americans are unwanted in Iraq. They are a source of evil and we want them to leave,” Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq anti-terror group, told Reuters.
The United States has around 5,200 troops deployed across Iraq to purportedly train security forces and prevent any resurgence of Daesh, but in reality it has been targeting Iraq’s popular groups fighting Takfiri terrorists.
Following the U.S. airstrikes, the Iraqi government announced three days of mourning while Kata’eb Hezbollah and other anti-terror factions in the Hashd al-Sha’abi demanded the "withdrawal of the American enemy”.
Protesters echoed those calls on Tuesday, carrying posters reading: "Parliament should oust U.S. troops, or else we will.” Others carried banners with Trump’s face crossed out.
They scrawled "No to America!” and "Soleimani is my commander” on the embassy walls, referring to a leading commander in Iran’s Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Tehran’s pointman for Iraq, Major General Qasem Soleimani who is hugely popular among Iraqis for helping defeat Daesh.
The U.S. embassy in Iraq is already operating at a fraction of its full diplomatic staffing after the State Department pulled out non-essential employees in May.
U.S. ambassador Matthew Tueller has been outside Iraq for two weeks on holiday but other staff were present and had not been evacuated, a diplomatic source told AFP.
The U.S. shut down its consulate in the southern port city of Basra last year. It still operates a consulate in the northern city of Arbil.
Ties between Washington and Baghdad are fraying fast, with Abdel Mahdi’s government threatening to summon the U.S. ambassador.
Dozens of lawmakers also called on the government to review an agreement allowing the U.S. troop deployment, saying the strikes amount to a violation of sovereignty that renders the pact obsolete.
The United States remained obstinate, accusing Iraq of failing to "protect” U.S. interests in the country after rockets allegedly killed a "civilian contractor” in a military base near Baghdad.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that a contingent of 100 additional Marines and two Apache helicopters were expected to go to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
"This may well be the low point of U.S. policy in Iraq,” said Iraq expert Fanar Haddad of Singapore University’s Middle East Institute.
The developments "represent a major downturn in Iraq-U.S. relations that could further undermine U.S. influence in the region and American troops in Iraq, and also weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran,” the Associated Press said.
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