Xinhua published a report from the middle east named “Middle East Battlefield Notes: KFC in Iraq Attacked.” The following are the excerpts from the report.
Recently, attacks on American businesses have been occurring frequently in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. On May 26, an explosive device was thrown at a KFC on Palestine Street. The next day, a group of masked men armed with guns and clubs vandalized a KFC in the Karada district. On the same day, another American restaurant, Chili House and Lee’s, was also attacked. In the early hours of May 30, a flashbang attack targeted a Caterpillar store in Baghdad. On the evening of June 3, angry protesters stormed the KFC on Palestine Street and vandalized another Chili House and Lee’s restaurant in a different district.
Analysts believe these American businesses have become targets of attacks because of the U.S.’ biased stance towards Israel in the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The U.S. has consistently supported Israel, refusing to adjust its policy or to acknowledge that Israel has crossed a “red line.”
“Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the U.S. has been indulging Israel, continuously sending arms, and ignoring the fact that Gaza has become a hell on earth. How many more innocent lives must be lost before the US stops?” said Baghdad resident Ali emotionally to the (Chinese) reporter.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last October, large and small anti-American protests have been frequently occurring in Baghdad. Iraqi Islamic resistance organizations have launched hundreds of attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria as well as on Israeli targets. There have been constant demands from the Iraqi government, militia forces, and the public for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. After Israel attacked the Rafah refugee camp, Iraqi Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr called for the closure of the U.S. embassy in Iraq and the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador.
The Iraqis’ anti-American sentiment is as hot as the current 45-degree Celsius heat in Baghdad. The KFC restaurants, instead of welcoming a bustling crowd of customers, have faced wave after wave of attacks by “protesters.” The U.S. government’s unjust stance has forced its businesses to pay the price.
Source: Xinhua, June 5, 2024
http://www.news.cn/world/20240605/22261cb6770b4c34954df0b15e1c8ce1/c.html