Rockets hit US Embassy in Baghdad amid anti-government protests. A number of rockets fell near the US Embassy in Baghdad on Sunday evening. Out of the total rockets used for attack, five rockets got crashed into the riverbank while three other rockets directly hit the compound of the US Embassy. Among the rockets that fell on the compound of the US embassy, one slammed into the cafeteria. The attack is being considered as backfire by Iran as a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iran fired ballistic missiles at the Iraqi base where the American troops were stationed.
Second attack in a week
Rocket attack on the US Embassy was the second attack of its kind in a week in the month of January. The first attack was in January 2020 when three rockets landed near the mission. The US Officials told the media that on January 26, 2020, Sunday, the dining hall was hit directly. Three other rockets hit the embassy compound. This is the first time when the US Embassy has been hit directly and that too just after pro-Iranian militants and their supporters assaulted the compound in Iraq.
None of the attacks are claimed
After the attack, no organization or terrorist group had come forward to claim the attack. The diplomatic mission that lies in the high-security green zone in Baghdad has been a target for the attackers. They have regularly hit this zone with rockets in the past few months but none of the attacks have been claimed. However, Washington has kept on claiming that Iraq’s attack is Iran backed military action factions known as Kataeb Hezbollah but no official claims have been made for the attacks on US Embassy in Iraq.
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Warlike conditions in Iraq
The PM and Speaker of Parliament of Baghdad have said that this attack has created a war-like situation in their homeland. The protesters are demanding the removal of the corrupt ruling elite. They also want to end foreign interference in Iraqi politics, especially by Iran. The protest movement had begun in October 2019 in Iraq and since then more than 500 demonstrators have been killed. A march was supposed to be carried out by a Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr for renewed demonstrations against the US in Baghdad but it was canceled citing that they want to avoid internal strife. Before the attack on the US Embassy, more than ten thousand of protestors have protested against the US military in Iraq. They carried out a march to protest.
No casualties in the attack
According to the US military spokesperson, everyone at their facilities was ok. No fatalities were reported after the attack. Only one person was injured but no fatal injuries were reported. However, the US has called on Iraq to protect American Diplomatic facilities. The US Embassy did not immediately respond to the request for comments. However, Iraqi security forces said that one injury has been done. A state Department spokesperson said in a statement, “We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities”.