US President expects Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Tuesday (Dec 31) he expects Iraq to “use its forces” to protect the US embassy in Baghdad as he blamed Iran for orchestrating an “attack” that breached the wall of the compound.

According to the details, Iraqi supporters of pro-Iran factions protested at the embassy on Tuesday, chanting “Death to America”, throwing rocks, tearing down security cameras and setting a sentry box ablaze in anger over weekend air strikes that killed two dozen fighters.

Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is 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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

Iraqi supporters of pro-Iran factions attacked the embassy early on Tuesday, breaching its outer wall and chanting “Death to America” in anger over weekend air strikes that killed two dozen fighters.

Iraq’s caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi said that crowds that had stormed the US embassy in anger at deadly US air strikes should leave the compound “immediately.”

Demonstrators had breached the embassy walls in protest at the Sunday strikes that killed at least 25 fighters from a hardline pro-Iran faction known as Kataeb Hezbollah.

“We recall that any aggression or harassment of foreign embassies will be firmly prohibited by the security forces,” Abdel Mahdi’s office said several hours after the attack began.

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To those many millions of people in Iraq who want freedom and who don’t want to be dominated and controlled by Iran, this is your time!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

Earlier, Protesters attempted to storm the U.S. embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad to express their ire over American airstrikes that killed 24 members of Iraqi militia over the weekend.

According to details, protesters set on fire the outside fence of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad after 100 of them gathered near the embassy’s external gate in the Green zone.

The thousands of protesters were chanting “Death to America!” while demonstration outside the embassy compound, throwing rocks, shattering surveillance cameras, covering the walls with graffiti and demanding that the U.S. withdraw its forces from Iraq.

Iraq Interior Ministry official stated that Iraqi security forces used tear gas in an effort to disperse protesters.

U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran after demonstrators breached the compound’s outer wall and lit fires. Tensions are high after American airstrikes killed 24 members of an Iraqi militia