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Large protests erupted in Iran and Pakistan near U.S. mission buildings after the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
At least nine people were killed, and several others injured in clashes between police and charged protesters who managed to enter the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi on Sunday to protest the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israel attack, an official confirmed.
"We have moved at least eight dead bodies to Karachi's civil hospitals, while 20 others were injured in the consulate incident," said Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, adding most had bullet wounds.
Hundreds of Iraqis attempted Sunday, March 1, to storm Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq declared they will not remain "neutral" in the conflict.
Protesters, some carrying flags of pro-Iran armed groups and posters of Khamenei, threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist at the scene reported.
"Their attempts had been thwarted so far, but they keep trying," a security source told AFP.
The Green Zone had been closed to traffic as demonstrators gathered at its perimeter.
Protests broke out across Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israel attack launched a day before.
Demonstrators marched through the capital Srinagar and the central Kashmir district of Budgam, as well as several towns in north and south Kashmir, with gatherings also reported in Ladakh.
In a statement, Chief Minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Omar Abdullah, while expressing deep concern over the unfolding developments in Iran, including Khamenei's killing, urged "all communities to remain calm, uphold peace, and avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest."
Meanwhile, police clashed with protesters in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi who tried to march towards the U.S. consulate.
Hundreds of Protesters blocked traffic by burning tires and pelted stones at the police, who in return fired teargas to disperse them. All roads leading to the U.S. Consulate in the city's southern district were hence closed. Yet, according to videos on social media, some managed to enter the mission through its entrance and smashed windows.
Several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups said Saturday they will not remain "neutral" and will defend the Islamic Republic in the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
The powerful Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah said it would attack U.S. bases after two of its fighters were killed in airstrikes in southern Iraq.
The statements raise the prospect of a new front opening in Iraq, where an estimated 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed, potentially echoing the militia attacks that targeted American forces following the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
Loud explosions were heard early Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), an AFP journalist reported.
Thick black smoke was seen rising from the airport area.
Shortly after, a small pro-Iran group claimed drone attacks on U.S. troops in Erbil.
On Saturday, U.S.-led coalition forces had downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil, local authorities said.
The Iraqi Shiite group Seraya Evliya ed-Dem earlier claimed responsibility for a kamikaze drone attack on U.S. military installations in the region, prompting a heavy coalition aerial response and tightened security around the base.
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