Protesters gather outside US embassy in Baghdad; rage against air strikes.

Islamabad -- Thousands of protesters and militia fighters gathered on Tuesday outside the main gate of the US embassy compound in Baghdad to condemn air strikes on bases belonging to an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq.

US forces carried out air strikes on Sunday against the Kataib Hezbollah militia in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

The US ambassador and other staff have been evacuated from the embassy, two Iraqi Foreign Ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The ambassador and staff left out of security concerns. One official said a few embassy protection staff remained.

The strikes risk drawing Iraq further into a proxy conflict between the United States and Iran at a time when it is being rocked by mass protests against the political system.

Some protesters threw stones at the gate while others...