By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: US Marines opened fire on demonstrators who breached the outer wall of the American consulate in Karachi on Sunday, two US officials told Reuters, in a rare use of lethal force at a diplomatic mission that risks sharply escalating tensions in Pakistan.
The shooting occurred as thousands of protesters, furious over the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, surged towards the compound. At least 10 people were killed in the violence in Karachi alone, with a total of 26 reported dead across the country as demonstrations spread.
Citing initial assessments, the US officials said it was not yet clear whether the Marines’ rounds had struck or killed any of the protesters. They added that they did not know if shots had also been fired by other personnel guarding the mission, including private security contractors and local police. The disclosure represents the first time American officials have acknowledged that Marines were directly involved in firing at the crowd.
A spokesman for Sindh province, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, said only that “security” personnel had opened fire, without identifying which forces were responsible. Daily protection at US diplomatic posts in Pakistan is typically handled by private contractors and local authorities rather than Marines, whose involvement in the incident underlines the gravity with which the consulate viewed the threat.
Reporters from Reuters who were at the scene heard sustained gunfire and saw tear gas deployed in the surrounding streets. Protesters chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” as they massed outside the building. Video circulating on social media appeared to show at least one demonstrator firing a weapon towards the consulate compound, while bloodied protesters fled amid the sound of shots.
A senior Karachi police official told Reuters that the gunfire originated from inside the consulate grounds. The US Marines referred all inquiries to the US military, which in turn directed questions to the State Department. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pakistani authorities have moved quickly to establish the facts. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon told Geo News that a high-powered joint investigation team had been formed and that a fact-finding report was expected within 15 days. “Once it’s done, one would be able to tell exactly how this happened and whose bullets hit whom,” he said. Memon noted that CCTV footage indicated some people at the site had been carrying weapons, though he stressed he was “not a technical expert” and that the investigation teams and police would determine the sequence of events.
Separately, the Sindh inspector general of police issued a notification establishing a committee headed by Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General Zulfiqar Ali Larik. The panel has been tasked with determining the facts and circumstances of the incident, identifying any security lapses or failures to comply with procedures, examining the role of police and any external elements, and recommending immediate remedial measures.
In the United States, the incident drew an immediate and approving response from Vic Mellor, a Republican candidate for Rhode Island and a former Marine. Writing on X, Mellor said: “Armed rioters tried to storm our US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. They breached the perimeter. They set fires. They thought this was 1979. It’s not. United States Marines met them at the door — and sent a message the entire world just heard: The days of America not defending itself are OVER. We will be known for strength. And anyone who wishes to harm Americans will learn the cost. As a Marine, I’ll tell you what every Marine already knows: you don’t touch American soil. Not in Karachi. Not anywhere on earth.”
On Monday, authorities banned large public gatherings across Punjab, Islamabad and Karachi as protests triggered by the strikes on Iran continued. Police registered a first information report against an estimated 150-200 unidentified protesters for vandalising the consulate, firing weapons and committing arson. A second FIR was lodged over the torching of a police post near the building, while a third concerned violence on the Native Jetty Bridge, where unknown armed men opened fire, wounding two women and several others.
The US diplomatic presence in Pakistan consists of the embassy in Islamabad and consulates in Peshawar and Lahore as well as Karachi. All have been placed under heightened security, with roads leading to the missions blocked and heavy police deployments in place. In Karachi itself, authorities maintained stringent measures on Tuesday. Both sides of MT Khan Road remained closed from the PIDC signal towards Jinnah Bridge, according to an alert issued by the Karachi Traffic Police.
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