Cctv newsAccording to Iraqi state television, the demonstrators who "besieged" the US Embassy in Iraq in the "Green Zone" of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, began to gradually leave the US Embassy in Iraq on January 1, 2020. According to Reuters, a small number of demonstrators still stayed behind, insisting that they would not leave unless American troops left Iraq.
On January 1, 2020, the Iraqi Shiite militia "People’s Mobilization Organization" issued a statement calling on demonstrators to leave in front of the US Embassy in Iraq in order to respect the Iraqi government’s decision and safeguard the national prestige. The statement said that the "People’s Mobilization Organization" appreciated the caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi’s position of rejecting and condemning the US air strikes against militia armed bases. The statement also called on the Iraqi people to attend the funeral of members of the "People’s Mobilization Organization" who were killed in American air strikes in Baghdad.
The day before, on December 31, 2019, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the US Embassy in Iraq and severely impacted the Embassy to protest against the US air strikes against Iraq. Demonstrators broke into the outer courtyard of the embassy and clashed with guards who fired tear gas. Iraqi President Saleh, caretaker Prime Minister Mehdi and Speaker of the National Assembly Habsi all called on the demonstrators to leave the US Embassy. On the same day, US President Trump telephoned Mehdi, stressing the need to protect the safety of American personnel and facilities in Iraq. US Defense Secretary Esper announced that the United States will immediately send about 750 more troops to the Middle East to cope with the rising threats to American personnel and facilities in the region, including the incident in Baghdad.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced on December 29, 2019 that the U.S. military carried out air strikes on the facilities of the Shiite armed group "Allah Brigade" in Iraq and Syria on the same day, in retaliation for the organization’s repeated attacks on the military bases of the U.S.-led international Coalition forces against extremist organizations in Iraq. On the same day, the People’s Mobilization Organization, a militia armed force composed of a number of Shiite militia forces, including the "Allah Brigade", issued a statement saying that the United States launched an air strike on its base on the border between Iraq and Syria, killing 25 people and injuring 51 others. On the 30th, Mehdi said that American air strikes would lead to "dangerous consequences", which might plunge Iraq into the conflict between the United States and Iran.
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