WATCH: Thousands of Iraqi Protesters Attempt to Storm U.S. Baghdad Embassy in Protest Against Deadly Airstrikes

Caleb EcarmaDec 31st, 2019, 11:25 am
 

Thousands of Iraqi demonstrators are gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in a mass protest against recent U.S. airstrikes, which resulted in the deaths of over two dozen combatants who were members of an Iraqi Shiite militia backed by the Iranian regime.

The protest began Tuesday morning, with large crowds shouting anti-American chants in unison, including “Down, down USA.” According to CBS News, a small group of the protesters were able to climb the heavily fortified embassy’s walls and break into a lobby area inside the outpost. U.S. officials are purporting that some of the protesters arrived at the embassy under direct orders from the Shiite Kataeb Hezbollah militia, which was targeted in the strikes that took place on Sunday.

Footage shared online of the scene show protesters assembling at the compound’s main gate in an attempted forced entry, while Iraqi soldiers try to hold them at bay.

Another clip shows armed U.S. guards at the embassy who appear to be alert and ready should the protesters make there way deeper into the outpost.


President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that the airstrikes were conducted after the same militia group “killed an American contractor.”

“We strongly responded, and always will,” he added, before accusing Iran of “orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!”

Watch footage of the protests above, via CBS News and AFP.

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Caleb Ecarma

Caleb Ecarma was a reporter at Mediaite. Email him here: caleb@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter here: @calebecarma