Baghdad: The United States Ambassador to Iraq, Mathew H. Tueller, and other staff were evacuated from the US Embassy in Baghdad after it was stormed by thousands of protesters and militia fighters.
They were protesting against the US airstrikes against terror bases of Iranian backed militias. The US had struck the Iranian militia called Kataib Hezbollah in retaliation for killing an US civilian contractor during an attack on Iraqi military base by the terror group.
The protesters outside the embassy became violent and dozens of protesters broke into the US Embassy compound. They broke the gate down and set fire to the reception area.
The protesters were shouting slogans against the United States. The attack on the Embassy by protesters this huge is significant and poses a threat to US interests Iraq.
The United States and Iran are engaged in a proxy war in the region and this conflict to escalate into a major crisis. Iraqis were angry against the Kataib militias and protested against the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, primarily because he has the support of Iran.
However, the militia could garner protesters to storm the US embassy and to demand that the US leave the country.
