Lawmakers called for US troops to be booted out of Iraq
Iraq’s government warned Monday that its relations with the United States were at risk after deadly American air strikes against a pro-Iran group sparked anger on the streets, with protesters torching US flags.
Several thousand of Iraqi protesters matched in Baghdad and in front of US embassy, burning US flags outside gates according to an AFP report. The angry protesters attacked the US embassy in the Iraqi capital on Tuesday in anger at US air strikes that killed more than two dozen paramilitary fighters at the weekend. They marched through checkpoints that usually restrict access to Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone, chanting “Death to America,“ burning US flags and holding posters calling for the embassy to be shut down.
The protesters are demanding the total closure of the American Embassy in Baghdad.
Some of the protesters were seen attempting to set fire at the US embassy while some are trowing stones. The security operatives fired tear gas to push Iraq protesters back from US embassy
Some of the protesters were seen attempting to set fire at the US embassy while some are trowing stones. The security operatives fired tear gas to push Iraq protesters back from US embassy
Baghdad said it would summon the US ambassador while Washington responded by accusing Iraqi authorities of having failed to “protect” US interests.
At least 25 fighters were killed in Sunday night’s attacks and 55 others wounded in the crucial Military operations against the pro-Iran militias in Iraq and Syria , which saw US planes hit several bases belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most radical factions of Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary coalition.
The attacks came as Iraq is caught up in mounting tensions between its allies Tehran and Washington while it also grapples with huge street protests against corruption and Iran’s growing political influence in the country.
The strikes “killed 25 and wounded 55, including commanders and fighters, and the toll could yet rise,” said the Hashed, which holds major sway in Iraq. Victims were still being pulled from the rubble of bases near Al-Qaim, an Iraqi district bordering Syria, on Monday, it said.
The Hezbollah Brigades said they will hold a mass funeral ceremony on Tuesday in Baghdad near the high-security Green Zone, where the US embassy is located and have since turned violence and rampage against the embassy.
Iraq’s government, acting in a caretaker capacity following the resignation of prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi in the face of street protests, denounced the strikes and warned they could affect ties with Washington.
Read: AMIDST CRITICISM, POMPEO DISCUSSES US ATTACKS ON IRANIAN-MILITIAS WITH WORLD LEADERS
“American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of the Iraqis,” a statement said, adding that such strikes “violate the sovereignty of Iraq”.
The attacks “force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty”, the government added.
The warning came as demonstrators torched US flags in the Shiite-dominated southern cities of Basra and Najaf as well as in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, while lawmakers called for US troops to be booted out of Iraq.
The Iraqi demonstrators waved flags in support of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mostly Shiite network of Iraqi arnmed groups that has received training and weapons from powerful neighbour Iran. Carrying posters reading: "Parliament should oust US troops, or else we will."
Others carried banners with US President Donald Trump's face crossed out. They scrawled "No to America!" and "Shut by order of the Resistance Brigades" on the embassy gates.
At least 25 fighters were killed in Sunday night’s attacks and 55 others wounded in the crucial Military operations against the pro-Iran militias in Iraq and Syria , which saw US planes hit several bases belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades, one of the most radical factions of Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary coalition.
The attacks came as Iraq is caught up in mounting tensions between its allies Tehran and Washington while it also grapples with huge street protests against corruption and Iran’s growing political influence in the country.
The strikes “killed 25 and wounded 55, including commanders and fighters, and the toll could yet rise,” said the Hashed, which holds major sway in Iraq. Victims were still being pulled from the rubble of bases near Al-Qaim, an Iraqi district bordering Syria, on Monday, it said.
The Hezbollah Brigades said they will hold a mass funeral ceremony on Tuesday in Baghdad near the high-security Green Zone, where the US embassy is located and have since turned violence and rampage against the embassy.
Iraq’s government, acting in a caretaker capacity following the resignation of prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi in the face of street protests, denounced the strikes and warned they could affect ties with Washington.
Read: AMIDST CRITICISM, POMPEO DISCUSSES US ATTACKS ON IRANIAN-MILITIAS WITH WORLD LEADERS
“American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of the Iraqis,” a statement said, adding that such strikes “violate the sovereignty of Iraq”.
The attacks “force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty”, the government added.
The warning came as demonstrators torched US flags in the Shiite-dominated southern cities of Basra and Najaf as well as in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, while lawmakers called for US troops to be booted out of Iraq.
The Iraqi demonstrators waved flags in support of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mostly Shiite network of Iraqi arnmed groups that has received training and weapons from powerful neighbour Iran. Carrying posters reading: "Parliament should oust US troops, or else we will."
Others carried banners with US President Donald Trump's face crossed out. They scrawled "No to America!" and "Shut by order of the Resistance Brigades" on the embassy gates.
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