WORLD NEWS NOVEMBER 27, 2019 / 8:13 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Iraq protesters torch Iran consulate in Najaf, curfew imposed

John Davison, Ahmed Aboulenein
5 MIN READ

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Najaf and set fire to the building on Wednesday bringing a new level of violence to demonstrations aimed at the downfall of a government backed by Tehran.

It was the strongest expression yet of the anti-Iranian sentiment of Iraqi demonstrators, who have taken to the streets for weeks in Baghdad and the Shi’ite Muslim-majority south - and have been gunned down in their hundreds by Iraqi security forces.

Staff at the consulate had evacuated shortly before demonstrators broke in, police and civil defense first responders said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Local authorities imposed a curfew following the incident, state media reported.

The protests that began in Baghdad on Oct. 1 and have spread through southern cities are the most complex challenge facing the Shi’ite-dominated ruling class that has controlled state institutions and patronage networks since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

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