At least nine people have died in heavy violence near the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, following violent protests over the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to Al Jazeera, hundreds of Iranian supporters gathered in front of the consulate in the early hours of Sunday, trying to enter the compound. Security forces opened fire to disperse the protesters, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens more.
A doctor at Karachi’s civil hospital confirmed that the nine bodies had been brought to the hospital, while some of the injured were being treated for various conditions. Videos posted on social media showed injured people being carried by bystanders, and groups trying to break down the security gates of the consulate on Mai Kolachi Road.
The violence is not limited to Karachi. In the Shiite-majority city of Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, protesters set fire to a United Nations office. A local government spokesman said the building was burned, but no casualties were reported.
Also in Lahore, hundreds of people gathered outside the US consulate. Although some protesters tried to damage the security gate, police managed to disperse them without using force.
Protests over Khamenei’s assassination were also reported in other countries, including Iraq, Morocco and Indian-administered Kashmir. In Baghdad, pro-Iran supporters gathered near the Green Zone, where the US embassy is located.
The incidents come at a time of heightened tension in the region, following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader. The situation in Pakistan remains tense, with more protests expected in the capital Islamabad in the coming hours.
