Iraq’s Hashd Al-Shaabi: US Consulate behind Basra Chaos
TEHRAN (Basirat) : A senior member of Hashd al-Shaabi, one of the country’s official branches of armed forces, pointed the finger at the US consulate in Basra for the recent violent unrest in the city during which rioters torched several buildings, including the Iranian consulate.
In comments on Saturday, Deputy Commander of Hashd al-Shaabi (aka Popular
Mobilization Units) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis said his organization has given
evidence of the US consulate’s role in the violent unrest in Basra to government
officials.
Denouncing the presence of some 8,000 American military forces in Iraq and
Washington’s interference in the Arab country’s internal affairs, Muhandis said
the US had threatened that Basra would be set ablaze if the current prime
minister does not win a second term.
He further criticized Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for refusing to support the
Hashd al-Shaabi forces and accusing the PMU of offering unreal statistics for
people on the payroll, according to al-Ahed News.
On Friday evening, a mob of angry protestors stormed into the Iranian consulate
in Basra, destroyed the diplomatic mission’s properties, took down the flag of
Iran and torched the building.
The consulate’s building was not the first to be set on fire. The angry
demonstrators had earlier set government buildings ablaze as well. The buildings
included the headquarters of the local government, the ruling Dawa Party, the
Supreme Islamic Council and the Badr Organization.
Source:Tasnim
