WEB DESK

Protesters have attacked the American embassy compound in Baghdad. They were reportedly angered by recent US air strikes targeting an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia.

US troops fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that got into a reception area in the compound, which is in the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

A guard post on the street nearby was also set alight.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of “orchestrating” the attack and said it would be “held fully responsible”.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other staff were evacuated from their embassy for their safety today as thousands of protesters and militia fighters broke into the US Embassy compound after smashing the main door and setting fire to the options area. Iraqi officials said, outside the embassy, protesters threw stones at the gate while others chanted anti-US slogans. Iraqi special forces were deployed around the main gate to prevent them from entering the embassy.

The embassy attack followed deadly US airstrikes on last Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The US military said the airstrikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that Iran would be held responsible for the attack. In a tweet, he said, Iran is orchestrating an attack on the US Embassy in Iraq. He said, Iraq should use its forces to protect the Embassy.