Thousands of Iraqi protesters attack US embassy

Thousands of demonstrators broke into the “Green Zone” checkpoint in Baghdad’s international zone, which was previously heavily guarded, shouting slogans such as “Go to hell, America” ​​and setting fire to the American flag. They even demanded that the US Embassy in Baghdad be closed. The group of demonstrators included men and women in camouflage uniforms. At one point, these people arrived outside the wall of the US Embassy. Iraqi security forces used tear gas and other means to try to control the demonstrators, but the protesters pulled the security cameras off the wall. Earlier, the US Department of Defense announced on the 29th that the US military launched air strikes on multiple facilities of the Shiite armed organization “Kataib Hezbollah” in Iraq and Syria that day in retaliation for the organization’s multiple attacks on military bases in Iraq where international coalition forces are stationed. The US also accused the “Kataib Hezbollah” of being supported by Iran. After the incident, the Iraqi Shiite militia “Popular Mobilization Organization” issued a statement on the 29th saying that the United States launched an air strike on its base on the border between Iraq and Syria, killing 25 people in the organization and injuring 51 people. It is understood that the Popular Mobilization Organization was established in 2014 and is composed of several Shiite militia forces including the Brigades of God. It was incorporated into the Iraqi security forces in March 2018 and directly obeyed the orders of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. It played an important role in the fight against the Islamic State. US Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley recently went to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to report on the developments in the Middle East to US President Trump, who was on vacation there. Pompeo later told the media that the airstrike showed that the United States would not allow Iran to put Americans in danger. Esper said they also discussed other possible options for action with Trump. Iraq has seen several attacks on US targets in recent months. A rocket attack occurred in northern Iraq last Friday, killing an American contractor and injuring several US and Iranian soldiers. Pompeo accused Iran-backed armed groups of carrying out this series of attacks. He warned that the United States will respond decisively to any action launched by Iran or its proxies that harms the United States or its allies. This airstrike is the first large-scale military retaliation by the US military against the attack of the “Kataib Hezbollah”. In response to this incident, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 30th, strongly condemning the US airstrike. The statement said that Iraq is an independent and sovereign country, and maintaining its national security is a top priority. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi also condemned the US airstrike. He warned that the US action was unacceptable and “will have dangerous consequences.”