United States Marines opened fire during last weekend’s assault on the US consulate in Karachi, according to a report by Reuters that cited two American officials.
The report represents the first confirmation that Marines discharged weapons as protesters forced their way into the diplomatic compound.
The officials told Reuters that it remains uncertain whether any of the rounds fired by the Marines hit or killed members of the crowd. They also said they could not confirm if additional shots were fired by other personnel assigned to guard the facility, including private security contractors and local police officers.
At least 10 people lost their lives during the unrest, after demonstrators broke through the outer wall of the consulate complex.
A spokesman for the provincial government, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, stated that “security” personnel had opened fire. He did not clarify which security force was responsible.
