The United States Marines opened fire at protesters who had stormed the US Consulate in Pakistan’s Karachi on Sunday during a demonstration against the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters quoted two unidentified US officials as saying on Tuesday.
This would mark a rare use of force at a US diplomatic mission and the first confirmation by US officials that Marines were involved in firing during the unrest. The US Marines are military personnel assigned to protect American diplomatic missions around the world.
The two officials told Reuters that it was unclear whether rounds fired by the Marines struck or killed anyone. They also added that they did not know whether shots were fired by other personnel guarding the mission, including private security contractors or local police.
However, ten persons were killed and more than 60 injured on Sunday after protesters breached the compound’s outer wall.
A provincial government spokesperson, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani was quoted as saying by Reuters that “security” personnel had opened fire at the protesters outside the US Consulate on Sunday, but he did not specify which force was involved.
An unidentified Karachi police officer was quoted as saying that the shots were fired from inside the consulate premises.
Protests had erupted in several parts of Pakistan after Khamenei was killed on Sunday in a joint military operation carried out by the US and Israel. He was considered an important figure by Shia Muslims globally.
Twenty-six persons were reportedly killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in the country.
On Monday, Pakistan called in the military and imposed a three-day curfew banning large gatherings amid the unrest, Al Jazeera reported.
However, on Tuesday as well, Pakistani students staged a protest outside the US consulate in Lahore against Khamenei’s killing and the reported firing by US Marines on protesters in Karachi, PTI reported.
Heavy police presence, including women personnel, was deployed outside the consulate. Authorities barricaded roads leading to the building to prevent demonstrators from approaching, the news agency reported.
Also read: Protests across India against killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israel attack
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