XPost: alt.activism, alt.security.terrorism, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns   
   From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Marines opened fire on   
   demonstrators during the storming of the Karachi consulate over the   
   weekend, two U.S. officials said on Monday—a rare use of force at a   
   diplomatic post that could sharply escalate tensions in the country   
   amid widespread protests over the killing of Iran's leader.   
      
   Ten people were killed on Sunday when protesters breached the compound’s   
   outer wall after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was   
   killed in strikes on Iran.   
      
   Citing initial information, the two U.S. officials said it was unclear   
   whether rounds fired by Marines struck or killed anyone. They also did   
   not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the   
   mission, including private security guards and local police.   
      
   This would mark the first confirmation by U.S. officials that Marines   
   were involved in firing at the protestors.   
      
   A provincial government spokesman, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, said   
   "security" personnel had opened fire, without specifying their   
   affiliation.   
      
   Daily security operations at U.S. diplomatic missions are often carried   
   out by private contractors and local forces, and the involvement of   
   Marines in the incident underscores how seriously the consulate viewed   
   the threat.   
      
   Pakistan is home to the world’s second-largest Shi’ite community after   
   Iran. On Monday, Pakistan banned large gatherings nationwide after the   
   protests over the strikes on Iran spread, with 26 people reported dead   
   across the country.   
      
   Protesters on Sunday chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!”   
   outside the consulate, where Reuters reporters heard gunfire and saw   
   tear gas fired in surrounding streets.   
      
   Video on social media appeared to show at least one protester firing a   
   weapon toward the consulate and bloodied demonstrators fleeing as shots   
   rang out.   
      
   A Karachi police official told Reuters that the shots were fired from   
   inside the consulate premises.   
      
   The U.S. Marines referred questions to the U.S. military, which in turn   
   referred questions to the State Department. The State Department did not   
   respond to a request for comment.   
      
   Shi’ite community leaders have called for more protests in Lahore and   
   Karachi despite the nationwide ban on public gatherings.   
      
   The U.S. embassy in Pakistan is in the capital, Islamabad, and there are   
   two additional consulates in Peshawar and Lahore.   
      
   Roads leading to the U.S. consulate in Karachi were blocked off with a   
   heavy police presence in the area. Similar measures were in place around   
   U.S. missions in Lahore and Islamabad.   
      
   Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Simon   
   Lewis; Editing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman   
      
   https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-marines-fired-protesters-st   
   orming-consulate-karachi-officials-say-2026-03-03/   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)