President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Tuesday, warning the country’s leaders that they will be held responsible for any death of any U. S. Citizen or Employee or destruction after protestors attacked the US embassy in Baghdad.
“Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities,” Trump tweeted from Florida. “They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat.”
Protesters attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad on Sunday and the attacks continued on Tuesday as well, scaling the walls and forcing the gates of the compound, as hundreds demonstrated against American airstrikes on an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq.
As night fell, protestors set up tents near the embassy, suggesting another day of upheaval lies ahead. Iraqi counterterrorism forces were deployed around the perimeter of the embassy, while the Pentagon announced additional Marines would be sent to Baghdad and more troops would be deployed to the Middle East in response to the embassy crisis in Iraq.
Hundereds of Iraqi Shia militia supporters have broken into the US embassy compound in Baghdad, storming inside, smashing the door and causing damage to the property. The incident took place amidanger at airstrikes. The United States has carried out attacks on the Shia armed group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria, killing at least 25 fighters few days ago.
Washington said it targeted the Iran-linked group in western Iraq and eastern Syria in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor two days beforehand. Iraqi security and militia sources said at least 55 fighters were wounded in the air attacks, adding that one of the raids had targeted the group’s headquarters near the western al-Qaim district.
Kataib Hezbollah is a group under the Popular Mobilization Units. Jewad Kadum, a PMU official, said in a statement that the rescue operations were still ongoing as well as the evacuation of the wounded, recovery of the dead bodies and the extinguishing of the fire caused by the airstrikes.
As a reaction towards these airstrikes the US embassy in Iraq was attacked. Abdel Karim Khalaf, spokesman of the commander of Iraq’s Armed Forces, said during a live interview on state television, Al-Iraqiya TV, that Esper informed Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi half an hour before the US airstrikes.
They chanted “Down, Down USA Down!” while hurling water bottles and smashing security cameras, according to The Associated Press. An AP reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three U.S. soldiers on the roof of the main building inside the U. S. embassy.
Reportedly, the guards inside the embassy used tear gas to try and prevent demonstrators from moving towards main buildings inside the compound, an Iraqi security source told reporters and media personals on condition of anonymity.
According to several media reports at least 10 demonstrators were injured by live bullets and tear gas, according to the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group for the militias recognized by the Iraqi government.The U.S. airstrikes have been met with an angry reaction coming from both Iran and Iraq.
There have been reports stating that protesters posted a poster on the wall: “America is an aggressor,” and some commanders of militia factions loyal to Iran joined the protesters. Among those was Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the state-sanctioned paramilitary’s Popular Mobilization Units, the umbrella group for the Iran-backed militias.
Tehran called the U.S. airstrikes “terrorism” and Iraq called them a “violation” of its dominion. The militia targeted has vowed to respond.
Seven armored vehicles with about 30 Iraqi soldiers arrived near the embassy hours after the violence erupted, deploying near the embassy walls but not close to the breached area. Four vehicles carrying riot police officers approached the embassy later but were forced back by the protesters blocking police personals path.
There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon and the State Department on the breach of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The US – Iraq relations have always been in the limelight due to consistent tensions and consecutively retaliating attacks.
