Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad

On 27 December 2019, an Iraqi airbase in Kirkuk province was attacked with rockets, killing an American civilian contractor and injuring four U.S. service members and two Iraqi security forces personnel. The U.S. blamed the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, a subgroup of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), for the attack. Kata'ib Hezbollah denied involvement. On 29 December 2019, retaliatory U.S. airstrikes targeted five Kata'ib Hezbollah —and therefore PMF— weapon storage facilities and command and control locations in Iraq and Syria. At least 25 militia members reportedly died and at least 55 were wounded. ==Attack==

maintain overwatch of the embassy protests from FOB Union III, Green Zone, 31 December 2019 helicopters deploy flares over the Green Zone in a show of force amid the embassy attack, 31 December 2019 Mob attack On 31 December 2019, after a funeral was held for the Kata'ib Hezbollah militiamen that were killed by the prior U.S. airstrikes, an angry mob of dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters marched through the perimeters of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, marched down Kindi Street, and surrounded an entrance to the U.S. embassy compound. According to the Associated Press, Iraqi security forces did not attempt to stop the mob and permitted them to pass a security checkpoint. As the fire broke out, an AP reporter on the scene observed at least half a dozen U.S. Marine Security Guardsmen and Diplomatic Security Service personnel on the roof of the main embassy building with their guns trained on the intruders, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would later identify Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Qais Khazali, Falih Alfayyadh, and Hadi al-Amiri as leaders of the attack on the embassy. Security response arrive in Baghdad to reinforce the U.S. embassy, 31 December 2019 After the news of the embassy compound's perimeter breach, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated that reinforcements were en route to the compound and urged the Iraqi government to "fulfill its international responsibilities" and protect the facility. Mark Esper subsequently announced the immediate deployment of an infantry battalion of about 750 U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. He did not specify their destination, but a U.S. official familiar with the decision said they were to deploy to Kuwait. Esper said additional soldiers from the 82nd Airborne's rapid-deployment brigade, known officially as its Immediate Response Force, were prepared to deploy over the next several days. The 750 soldiers deploying immediately were in addition to 14,000 U.S. troops sent to the Persian Gulf region since May 2019 in response to concerns about Iranian aggression. Iraqi soldiers, federal police, and counterterrorism units lined up between the protesters and the compound. No further clashes occurred as Popular Mobilization Forces militia leaders called on demonstrators to take down the tents and withdraw. Militia supporters considered the attack on the embassy a victory against the U.S. and that their message had been sent, with one supporter proclaiming "We rubbed America's nose in the dirt." ==Aftermath==

outside the smoldering outer perimeter of the U.S. embassy, 1 January 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran of "orchestrating" the attack on the embassy and added that they would be held "fully responsible." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named then-Popular Mobilization Forces deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais Khazali and PMF commander Hadi al-Amiri (both of which were present at the embassy attack), and PMF chairman Falih Alfayyadh as responsible for the attack; al-Amiri and Alfayyadh were reportedly guests to the White House during the Obama administration. Iran's foreign ministry denied they "were behind" the "protests" at the U.S. embassy and warned against any "retaliation". Supreme leader of Iran Ali Khamenei tweeted "If Iran wants to fight a country, it will strike directly." Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz held Iran responsible for the embassy attack, saying that Iran had made a "grave mistake" by attacking the embassy and called on the international community to confront what he called the "rebel regime" in Tehran. On 2 January 2020, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said "the game has changed" and stated that the U.S. would preemptively strike Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq if there were indications they were preparing to attack U.S. forces, while also urging the Iraqi government to resist Iranian influence. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley emphasized that any group that attempted to overrun the Baghdad embassy will "run into a buzzsaw." Hours after Esper's announcement, in the early morning hours of 3 January 2020, the U.S. conducted a drone strike, killing the commander of Iran's Quds Force, Major General Qasem Soleimani (the second most powerful person in Iran), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis while they were traveling in a convoy near Baghdad International Airport. The U.S. attack was formally announced by the United States Department of Defense in a press release. Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. bases in Iraq, primarily Al Asad Airbase, with tens of ballistic missiles; there were no deaths in the attack but 110 U.S. soldiers received brain concussions and at least 5 structures were destroyed. On 26 January 2020, three more rockets were fired on the U.S. embassy wounding at least one staff member present in the cafeteria at dinner time, with the nationality of the wounded still undisclosed, other sources reported 3 wounded. In autumn 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeatedly threatened to close the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad if Iraqi leaders did not prevent further attacks on the embassy. According to some media sources, Pompeo informed Baghdad that it would target 120 sites in Iraq linked to Iran-backed militias if rocket attacks cost American lives. ==See also==