BAGHDAD — Dozens of angry supporters of an Iraqi Shiite militia broke into the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire, as tensions escalated after American airstrikes this week that killed 25 militia fighters.
The protesters broke down a door and stormed inside the embassy compound after hundreds of angry supporters of the militia, Kataib Hezbollah, smashed security cameras outside the embassy.
Shouting “Down, Down U.S.A.!” the crowd hurled water bottles and stones. They raised militia flags and taunted the embassy’s security staff, who remained behind glass windows in a gated reception area. Protesters sprayed graffiti on the wall and windows in red reading: “Closed in the name of the resistance.”
Flames could be seen rising from inside the compound, and at least three United States troops were spotted on the roof of the embassy. It was not clear what caused a fire at the reception area, and a man on a loudspeaker urged protesters not to proceed any further: “The message was delivered.”
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/world/middleeast/baghdad-protesters-us-embassy.html
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