Iraq
US forces (unseen) fire teargas canisters at supporters and members of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force at the US Embassy in Baghdad on January 1, 2020. Photo: Ahmed al-Rubaye/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Supporters of Iranian-backed militias have withdrawn from the US Embassy in Baghdad following two days of sit-ins.
AFP’s Baghdad correspondent Maya Gebeily reported that the groups have withdrawn on the orders of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell confirmed the withdrawal of the protesters in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Iraqi security forces have now secured the perimeters of the embassy, and all tents have been removed from the area, it added.
The airstrikes, which killed 25 PMF fighters, were in response to the Friday rocket attack on Kirkuk’s K1 military base, home to US and Iraqi troops, which left one US contractor dead and several injured.
Kataib Hezbollah are believed to be behind the attack.
Militiamen and their supporters set part of the compound ablaze yesterday evening, and 750 US troops were re-deployed from Kuwait to bolster security in the area. Iraqi counter-terrorism forces were also sent to the scene.
According to AP, those who stormed the compound smashed windows, sprayed graffiti and trashed a reception area before retreating.
Earlier on Wednesday, supporters brought in tents and food to prolong their sit-in. Some began to leave for Abu Nawas street, which faces the embassy on the other side of the Tigris river, and are now said to have set up camp there.
Kataib Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Mohieh told Rudaw on Wednesday of the group’s demands.
When we began these protests, we had demands. We have announced these demands, which are the closure of the American embassy in Baghdad... and the expulsion of the US ambassador,” Mohyee told Rudaw.
He also called for the expulsion of US troops from Iraq.
US-Iran tensions have soared to their highest since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.
Despite the withdrawal, the long-term repercussions of the violence remain to be seen.
US officials have now called for renewed Iraqi protection following the attack.
“We expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy,” US President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said that those attacking foreign mission will face “the full force of the law.”
“Iraqi security forces will respond to any act of aggression or harassment against foreign embassies in Iraq, and those responsible will face the full force of the law,” he tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
Updated at 7:30pm
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