In a dramatic turn of events, a group of Iraqi protesters raided the US embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday Dec 31st. They broke through the main door and proceeded to set fire to the reception area. This action was fueled by the recent US military attacks on Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah, resulting in the deaths of 25 suspected terrorists. The attacks were carried out in response to the killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base a week earlier.
The protesters moved towards the heavily fortified Green Zone and continued their march until they reached the embassy.
As they approached, the protesters were seen displaying yellow flags belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah on the walls of the Embassy, according to Al Jazeera.
After the protesters breached the main door, the police launched tear gas into the Embassy area, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Iraqi police guarding the Embassy vacated their duty posts, and the US Ambassador to Iraq was evacuated from the building.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters had assembled outside the US embassy to denounce the US air attacks in Iraq and Syria. They chanted “Down, Down USA!” as they threw water bottles and destroyed security cameras outside the embassy grounds.
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, upon learning of the attempted attacks on the embassy, urged the protesters to leave the compound “immediately.” His office issued a statement hours after the attack began, emphasizing that any aggression or harassment of foreign embassies would be strongly prohibited by the security forces.
See video below