Posted on 12/31/2019 6:25:54 AM PST by Kaslin
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is being attacked by Iraqi Shiite militia supporters, who’ve broken into the compound.
According to the Associated Press, a fire has been set and sounds of gunfire were heard.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three U.S. soldiers on the roof of the main building inside embassy. It was not clear what caused the fire at the reception area near the parking lot of the compound. A man on a loudspeaker urged the mob not to enter the compound, saying: “The message was delivered.”
Smoke from the tear gas rose in the area, and at least three of the protesters appeared to have difficulties breathing.
The gate that was smashed was a side-entrance, one used by cars to enter the embassy compound. Hundreds of protesters had pushed about 5 meters (16 feet) into a corridor that leads to the main building but the protesters were still about 200 meters (yards) away from it. (AP)
The crowd had been chanting “Down, down USA”, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as they tried scaling the embassy’s walls.
BREAKING - Hundreds of Kataib Hezbollah supporters are swarming the US embassy in Baghdad. No attempt to stop them by Iraqi forced guarding the Green Zone. No way out for diplomats. V. dangerous situation pic.twitter.com/sUgTI8iXHb— Liz Sly (@LizSly) December 31, 2019
Kata'ib Hezbollah is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and the attack should be treated as a terrorist attack and not a bunch of "protesters" getting out of controlhttps://t.co/do8GT83AKX https://t.co/ypsbg3zmoB— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) December 31, 2019
IRAQ: Scene outside the US embassy in Baghdad as more protesters arrive in the wake of US retaliation airstrikes against Katai'b Hezbollah positions. - @KARRARISMAILM pic.twitter.com/kKmIevmQ89— Conflict News (@Conflicts) December 31, 2019
JUSTin : Electrical and communication cabins supplied to the US embassy building torched while embassy staff are still inside. !! https://t.co/KaBaGUi8iw— ??? ?????? ???? Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) December 31, 2019
The attack comes after the U.S. carried out airstrikes against five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the killing of a U.S. contractor and injuries to four U.S. troops and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces.
Iraq condemned the airstrikes, calling them a “violation of Iraq's sovereignty” and the terrorists vowed to retaliate, with KH’s military commander reportedly saying their forces were “ready to destroy the bases of the American occupiers and crush their rotten heads.”
Embassy staff and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq were evacuated but some security staff remained, Reuters reports. Some video from the scene shows at least six U.S. soldiers inside.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) weighed in on the attack early Tuesday morning, saying Iran "must be held accountable" and asked for prayers for the soldiers still inside the embassy.
#Iran is directly responsible for orchestrating the storming of the US Embassy in #Iraq & must be held accountable for it & the safety of every American serving there.— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 31, 2019
Pray for these brave young Americans who remain at their post at the Embassy in Baghdad while an Iranian directed mob attacks the embassy.
The U.S. should employ whatever it takes to secure their safety & the safety of all Americans inside the compound. https://t.co/0H3Epo5g7c— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 31, 2019
Update:
LATEST on #Iraq
• Protesters leave the interior of the US Embassy in Baghdad but continue to stone the building
• Iraq special forces use tear gas to disperse crowds
• Iran-linked militia leaders in the vicinity along with Iraqi interior and defense ministers
• NO DEATHS pic.twitter.com/asD9YdP7PB— Ragip Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 31, 2019
Updates from outside US embassy in #Iraq:
-Security forces deploy on roof of embassy & fire tear gas, flash bangs to keep protesters away
-Demonstrators hoist PMF, Iraqi, Kataeb Hezbollah flags at embassy
-NSA Faleh Fayyadh, Qais al-Khazaali, Hadi al-Ameri all outside embassy— Maya Gebeily (@GebeilyM) December 31, 2019
Update: President Trump responded and said Iran "will be held fully responsible."
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
Yes. The accusation was yugely instructive for showing their mindset at that time.
That was their mindset THEN, that is their mindset NOW.
"We want to demonstrate ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WORLD"
The libs said it a million times, but we were LISTENING..?
Engagement means listening to or COOPERATING WITH your enemy:
THAT is what this "takeover" is.
To me this has all the spontaneity of High Mass at St. Anthony's.
It looks like one thing, and yeah, I loathe the people attacking our Embassy. But I know what this REALLY is.
"Engagement" means different things to conservatives and the insect that libs have become.
If you consider that the entire “Middle East” is on the Asian continent, then it should not be a surprise. Remember, the term middle east comes from the brits who considered Russia and the Balkans to be the near east, Iran and India Central Asia or middle east, and China and Japan to be the Orient to be the far east.
(6th grade geography memories for the win.)
War is not the only option.
“There is nothing to read up on him.”
Playing dumb, ehhh.
Trump attacks - “We will get him into a QUAGMIRE..!”
Trump doesn’t attack - “We will turn him into a 1979 Jimmy Carter ..!”
That’s what they’re thinking in their desperation, that it’s a “win or win”.
Remind me again - how did Iraq become an Iranian satellite state? Oh yeah, George Bush and Obama gave it to them.
Obama did the giving by not carrying through
I realize however, you couldn’t help your self for the knee jerk bush bash
You tell me what you got against him. Is it because his parents are from Cuba?
Great idea! I’ve heard we have planes that can create the magnetic pulse without the bang.
“You tell me what you got against him. Is it because his parents are from Cuba?”
Most people here weren’t too happy with him LYING about being against Amnesty, to get elected, only to spearhead the effort in the Senate, once in office.
We also weren’t too hot about Rubio’s supporters funding the initial work on the Dossier.
Not to mention Rubio joining McCain in being DEAD WRONG about Syria and supporting the arming of the terrorists. He really needs to stop thinking he knows everything.
You are going to deny Bush set in motion the events which turned Iraq into an Iranian satrapy, and American soldiers in the South into prisoners of the Iranian Shia militias?
I wonder what Trump means by holding Iran fully responsible. Trump has shown that he can brilliantly leverage the US financial dominance in very creative and effective ways. Thanks to Trump, we are no longer dependent on foreign oil. Iran can’t survive without exporting oil. Iran couldn’t care less about how many people die, but they do care about money. I think Trump is going to hit them where it hurts.
And then Glass that sandbox over, let it cool off for a 100 years and Bulldoze the glass back into Sand and build some Resorts.
Even if Trump accomplishes EVERY SINGLE one of his promises but fails to build THE WALL...?
Then EVERYTHING he has done will, in time, be undone.
NONE of his efforts will matter one whit if he doesn’t do that.
In the fullness of time Trump will be shown to have been the LAST Prez believing in real elections and limited government.
The warning needs to be the Iraqi government leaders.
ISIS was just an example.
Why can’t they (SERIOUSLY!) put up a high voltage fence that if they touch it, they die? Of course, I’m one of those who think they should mine the southern border for similar reasons.
Snipers wanted.
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