This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/31/us-embassy-stormed-in-baghdad

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
US embassy stormed in Baghdad US embassy stormed in Baghdad amid anger at airstrikes
(32 minutes later)
Iraqi Shia militia supporters break into compound after US airstrikes on state-sanctioned militia Iraqi Shia militia supporters break into compound after US strikes on state-sanctioned militia
Dozens of Iraqi Shia militia supporters have broken into the US embassy compound in Baghdad after smashing a door and storming inside, amid teargas and sounds of gunfire.Dozens of Iraqi Shia militia supporters have broken into the US embassy compound in Baghdad after smashing a door and storming inside, amid teargas and sounds of gunfire.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three US soldiers on the roof of the embassy. A man on a loudspeaker urged protesters not to enter the compound and tear gas was fired. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three US soldiers on the roof of the embassy. A man on a loudspeaker urged protesters not to enter the compound.
The US ambassador to Iraq and other staff were evacuated because of safety concerns. The US ambassador and staff were reportedly earlier evacuated from the embassy in Baghdad, after thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the building to protest against a US airstrike on an Iranian-backed militia group.
The angry scenes followed the largest US attack on Iraqi state-sanctioned militia in recent years on Sunday and the subsequent calls by the militia for retaliation, representing the latest escalation in the proxy war between the US and Iran playing out in the Middle East. Two Iraqi foreign ministry officials said the chief of mission, Matthew Tueller, and several of his US colleagues had left the embassy. There was no immediate confirmation of the claim. It was unclear how many diplomats were still inside.
The crowd had earlier surrounded the building, hurling stones and water and shouting “Down, Down USA”, following funerals for the dead militia fighters, after which they marched on to the heavily fortified Green Zone and kept walking until they reached the sprawling US embassy. Several demonstrators reportedly climbed over the wall of the embassy, with others trying to push inside the grounds. They shouted “No, no, America!” and “No, no, Trump!”, and “Death to America!”, witnesses quoted by the Associated Press said.
The airstrikes also outraged the Iraqi government, which said it would reconsider its relationship with the US-led coalition – the first time it has said it will do so since an agreement was struck to keep some US troops in the country – and called the attack a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty. The angry demonstration followed US airstrikes on Sunday against three camps in Iraq and two in Syria. The bases belonged to the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia group, which is formally part of the Iraqi army. At least 25 fighters were killed and dozens injured.
In a partly televised meeting on Monday, the Iraqi prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, told cabinet members he had tried to stop the US operation “but there was insistence” from US officials. The Pentagon said the strikes were in response to a rocket attack on Friday against a US base in Kirkuk, in which a US civilian contractor was killed and four other Americans were hurt. It described them as “defensive”.
The US military said “precision defensive strikes” were conducted against five sites of Kataib Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, in Iraq and Syria. The bombings have provoked outrage inside Iraq and are the most serious incident yet in an escalating conflict between American forces and armed Iranian proxies. Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi – an ally of both Iran and the US – said they were an attack on his country’s sovereignty.
The group, which is a separate force from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, operates under the umbrella of the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces. Many of them are supported by Iran. According to reports, mourners attended funerals for some of the dead militia fighters in Baghdad. They then marched on the city’s heavily fortified Green Gone. Local security guards made no effort to turn them back and the crowd kept going until it reached the main US embassy gate.
Iraqi special forces were deployed around the perimeter to stop the protesters from breaking in. Mourners threw stones and water bottles at security guards. They draped flags over the fence belonging to Kata’ib Hezbollah and to Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces), a powerful paramilitary group of which Kata’ib Hezbollah is a part.
Qais al-Khazali, the leader of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, and many other senior militia leaders were among the demonstrators. On Monday, Iran condemned the US strikes as “terrorism” while pro-Iranian militia leaders in Iraq vowed to carry out further attacks on US forces.
Street protests take place regularly in the Iraqi capital. In recent months, security guards have shot dead more than 450 people protesting against rampant government corruption and the growing influence of Iranian-backed groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah.