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2019-10-26 Iraq
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At least 27 42 people killed as fresh protests engulf Iraq
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] At least 27 protesters were killed in Iraq on Friday when security forces used tear gas and an Iranian-backed militia opened fire to try to quell renewed demonstrations against corruption and economic hardship, security sources said.
A government intelligence officer and a member of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia were killed in a clash with protesters in the southern city of Amara, police sources said.
Nearly 1,800 people were maimed nationally as demonstrators erupted into the streets to vent frustration at political elites they say have failed to improve their lives after years of conflict.
"All we want are four things: jobs; water, electricity, and safety. That’s all we want," said 16-year-old Ali Mohammed who had covered his face with a T-shirt to avoid inhaling tear gas, as chaotic scenes overwhelmed Tahrir Square.
Sirens wailed and tear gas canisters landed in the middle of groups of young protesters wearing Iraqi flags and chanting "with life and blood we defend you Iraq."
The bloodshed is the second major bout of violence this month. A series of festivities two weeks ago between protesters and security forces left 157 people dead and over 6,000 maimed.
The unrest has broken nearly two years of relative stability in Iraq, which lived through foreign occupation, civil war and an ISIS
 ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
insurgency between 2003 and 2017. It is the biggest challenge to security since IS was declared beaten.
On Friday, eight protesters were killed in Baghdad, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission said. At least five of them were protesters struck by tear gas canisters in Baghdad, security sources said.
In the south, at least six protesters died when members of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia guarding the group’s local office in Nasiriya city opened fire after protesters tried to set the office on fire, security sources said.
Eight people were killed in Amara city, including six protesters, one AAH member, and one intelligence officer, police sources said. One protester was killed in Samawa.
Interior Ministry front man Khalid al-Muhanna said at least 68 members of the security forces had also been injured.
Rallies had resumed on Friday, with a range of actors from Iraq’s highest Shiite authority to the United Nations urging restraint.
They began early and calm on Thursday evening, with protesters exchanging flowers with security forces and the interior minister insisting police would “protect” protesters.
But by Friday evening, demonstrations across the country had descended into violence that left 42 protesters dead — at least half of them as they attacked the headquarters of armed factions or government bodies.
Thousands massed Friday outside Baghdad’s Green Zone, which hosts government offices and foreign embassies, but security forces used a volley of tear gas to push them back.
Iraq’s mostly-Kurdish north and Sunni west have stayed silent.
In response to protests, authorities have shut roads and imposed curfews and an internet blackout, which has been mostly lifted although social media remains blocked.
Parliament is scheduled to meet on Saturday to discuss the protests further.
| Related: Rudaw liveblogged the day’s events here. As of midnight local time there were 42 dead and over 2,000 injured, mostly from gunshots, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Twenty-seven buildings containing political party and government offices have been torched, including that of the powerful Badr organization, across Diwaniya, Maysan, Wasit, Dhi Qar, Basra, and Babylon. As of 9:00 p.m. curfews were announced in five provinces: Wasit, Muthana, Dhi Qar, Basra, and Babylon. |
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Posted by Fred 2019-10-26 00:00||
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File under: Govt of Iraq
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