US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abd al-Mahdi, “condemned the attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad on December 31 in the most severe way”, – the State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
At the same time, Pompeo noted the measures taken by the Iraqi authorities and recalled their obligation to protect the American diplomatic mission, the State Department added.
Cause of the riots
On Tuesday, protesters attempted to storm the main gate of the US Embassy in Baghdad in the Iraqi capital’s green zone, where diplomatic missions and government agencies are located. Protest rallies near the embassy began immediately after the funeral of American drones killed during the attacks by members of the Shiite group Kattaib Hezbollah. According to preliminary information, 25 fighters of the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi movement were killed as a result. Iraqi authorities condemned US attacks.
In the United States, in turn, it was stated that the bombing decision was made in connection with “repeated attacks by Kattaib Hezbollah on Iraqi bases”. According to the Pentagon, the attacks were a response to the actions of the movement, which led to the death of one American citizen and the wounding of four soldiers in Kirkuk.
On Wednesday, the rally continued, and US troops once again used tear gas against the demonstrators.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh on Tuesday condemned the attack by protesters at the US Embassy in Baghdad and called such actions “an attack on the sovereignty” of Iraq itself.