BAGHDAD, Sept. 7 -- Dozens of demonstrators stormed the Iranian consulate in Iraq's southern city of Basra on Friday, setting fire to the building, a security source said.
The Iranian employees had withdrawn from the building to safe places before the attack, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry later strongly regretted protesters' attack on the Iranian consulate, saying "it is an unacceptable development and is not in line with national hospitality for (diplomatic) missions," according to a statement by the ministry spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub.
"Targeting the diplomatic mission harms the interests of Iraq and its relations with other countries, and does not relate to the slogans of demonstrations and their demand for services and water," Mahjoub said.
The demonstrators headed toward the U.S. consulate, but the attempt was unsuccessful because of upgraded security measures, the source said.
Protesters also attacked a headquarters of the Iran-backed Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militant group and set fire to its building in Bareiha area in central Basra, incurring heavy gunfire from the group's fighters, the source said.
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, or League of People of Righteousness, is part of the Hashd Shaabi brigades. The group was allegedly funded, trained and armed by Iran's Quds Force during the U.S. occupation of Iraq and later became allied to the Shiite-led government.
Local witnesses said the demonstrators set fire to the gate of the Presidential palace complex at the edge of the city, which includes houses of local top officials and some bases of paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades.
Meanwhile, Qais al-Khaz'ali, head of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq group, threatened to "intervene strongly" if "things reach to the level that threats the existence of the state."
"Burning the headquarters of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and some parties in Basra is political motivated and has relation with the power struggle in Iraq," Khaz'ali said in an interview with a local television.
The demonstrations are part of days-long protests in the southern oil-hub province of Basra, during which hundreds of angry demonstrators burned the provincial government buildings and offices of leading political parties and headquarters of some Shiite militias in protest of wide-spread corruption and water contamination in the province.
Basra, the province's capital city which bears the same name, has long witnessed complaints among its over 2 million residents about the collapsing infrastructure, power cuts and corruption.
Water supply in the province is also widely criticized for high salinity, with thousands of residents having been hospitalized.
The protesters also accused the influential political parties of being behind the wide-spread corruption, which led to high unemployment and failure in rehabilitation of the country's electricity, water and other basic services.
小米CEO雷军印度飙英文笑翻全场
女性为何喜欢第六张自拍
触目惊心:尼泊尔地震后古迹前后对比图
激萌身高差 巴西2.3米巨人娶1.5米娇妻
百度搜索退出日本揭秘 最大对手并非谷歌
重磅回归 诺基亚计划2016重返手机市场
澳洲妈妈脸书晒娃遭朋友吐槽
流利英文 别让how are you毁了第一印象
中国女性更喜欢独自旅行
二氧化碳变燃油 奥迪黑科技研发成功
萌萌哒:一只以为自己是汪星人的袋鼠
盘点那些年被改编成电影的名著
泰坦尼克号沙滩椅拍卖 10万英镑成交
从IBM到苹果 一张图看懂科技巨头盛衰史
地震专家对尼泊尔强震有“先知”
科幻片变现实?!用眼睛开的无人驾驶汽车
美国老爸用无人机护送女儿上学
《疯狂外星人》来袭:谢耳朵变身外星怪咖
揭秘:汪星人为嘛要摇尾巴
各国人最爱的表情符号
希拉里“购置”2百多万推特粉丝
纽约美女一身套装穿三年
开挖掘机抢72个保险柜 英国史上最牛盗窃案
英国人享受“美好”的50件事
膜拜 捐款600亿美元的四位慈善大亨
英国开首家狗狗“游击餐厅”
白宫启用中性厕所
3张图表揭秘伟人不规律作息:卡夫卡封睡神
白宫记者会晚宴 奥巴马变身段子手
机器人厨师诞生了!
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |