- Iraq expels Swedish ambassador over planned Koran burning

The Swedish ambassador was expelled from Iraq on Thursday after protesters stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. In response, Iraq also recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden and suspended the working permit of Sweden’s Ericsson in Iraq. The protesters in Sweden had obtained permission to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy but ended up damaging the book without setting it on fire. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom criticized the Iraqi authorities for failing to protect the embassy. The Iraqi government condemned the embassy burning and declared it a security breach, vowing to protect diplomatic missions. They also warned that any future incidents involving the burning of the Holy Qur’an on Swedish soil would lead to the severing of diplomatic relations. The decision to recall the charge d’affaires to Sweden was made while the protest in Stockholm was ongoing. Billstrom called the embassy storming “completely unacceptable” and stated that the government was in contact with high-level Iraqi representatives to express their dismay. The demonstration in Sweden was organized by supporters of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has a significant following and has previously called for protests and engaged in deadly clashes.