Iraqis Protest US Interference, Assassination Schemes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Demonstrators gathered near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to denounce Washington's reported plot to assassinate resistance figures and its interference in Iraq's internal affairs.
Recent reports from US media have suggested that Washington is planning to assassinate leaders of anti-terror resistance groups in Iraq, particularly the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. The US claims that the group was responsible for a deadly drone strike on US forces in Syria in March.
On Friday, protesters expressed their discontent with the meddlesome behavior of US ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski. They demanded that the government and parliament publicly declare their positions regarding the US embassy, according to the Iraqi news agency Shafaq.
The demonstrators emphasized that this gathering was just the beginning, hinting at the potential for more protests in the future.
Security was tight in the vicinity of Baghdad's Green Zone, where the embassy is located.
In late 2019, Iraqi protesters breached the outer wall of the heavily fortified US embassy headquarters, marking the first breach since its construction following the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. The protest was in response to US airstrikes in the country.
In January 2020, the United States carried out the assassination of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, an anti-terrorist group, along with Iran's top anti-terror commander, Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. This act of terror further fueled the already intense anti-US sentiment in Iraq.