At least nine people were killed and more than 12 others injured on Sunday as angry protesters clashed with law enforcement personnel outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in the southern Sindh province, rescue officials said.
The clashes erupted on Mai Kolachi Road when demonstrators tried to enter the premises, prompting security forces to respond, according to Rescue 1122 Sindh.
The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, many of whom are in critical condition, according to Hassan Ul Haseeb, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Sindh.
Who opened fire was uncertain at the moment, the spokesperson said, adding that most of the injured sustained bullet wounds while others suffered baton injuries.
According to a statement by the Edhi Foundation rescue service, law enforcement personnel resorted to teargas shelling and baton charge to control the situation.
Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar sought a report from the police and ordered tighter security at sensitive installations.
Death toll rises to 9 in clash outside US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi
Death toll rises to 9 in clash outside US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi
Death toll rises to 9 in clash outside US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi
Iranians have gathered at Tehran's Enghelab Square on Sunday in support of the government after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli attacks on Saturday.
The Iranian government announced a 40-day mourning period after the report of the leader's death.
"It is our duty as a people to preserve calm and unity, and we must be strong — and we are. Our sorrow is for ourselves, because the Leader has achieved his wish: martyrdom on this path. The armed forces must respond to this act in the most forceful and powerful way possible and avenge this blood," said Minoo, a protester.
"We are in deep mourning, but this heavy grief does not mean we have become weak. Rather, it makes us, the people, more resilient in the face of Iran's enemies," said Fatemeh, another protester.
"The Supreme Leader was like a father to us, and it feels as though we have lost our own father. We call on the armed forces to give a decisive response to this aggression," said Pooya, a local resident.
On Saturday morning, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the region.
Several Iranian senior officials, including Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdolrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Secretary of the Defense Council Ali Shamkhani, and Mohammad Pakpour, chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were also killed in the strike.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the strikes hit at least 24 of Iran's 31 provinces, with 201 deaths and 747 injuries reported so far.
Iranians mourn supreme leader's death, vow solidarity
