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| Iraq |
| Four protesters killed in Baghdad as security forces close in on Tahrir Square |
| 2019-11-10 |
| [Rudaw] Iraqi forces on Saturday took control of three Baghdad bridges anti-government demonstrators had occupied for several days, leaving protesters in Tahrir Square surrounded. Iraqi forces took control of al-Sinek, al-Shuhada, and al-Ahrar bridges that span the River Tigris on Saturday, reported AFP. Four protesters killed and 108 maimed on Saturday as security forces cleared the three bridges that lead to Baghdad's Green Zone, medical and security officials told AP. Three of the protesters died from bullet wounds, while another died after a tear gas canister pierced his skull. Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark Protesters still hold some of the upstream al-Jumhuriya bridge, which leads to Tahrir Square where the main protest camp is entrenched. Posting on social media, protesters in Tahrir Square say they have otherwise been surrounded by security forces. Recapture of control of the three strategic bridges has cut off a potential advance by protesters on Baghdad’s Green Zone, a heavily fortified area where many government institutions and foreign embassies are based. At least 280 people have died and more than 11,000 have been maimed since protests against corruption, lack of employment, and lack of basic services began in Baghdad on October 1, before spreading to southern Iraqi provinces. Security forces hope a recapture of Tahrir Square, the focal point of the protests, will shut down this second wave of protest. Force capture of the square during the first wave of protests proved a major factor in their de-escalation. On Friday, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential religious figure, delivered a sermon that urged for protests to be kept peaceful, for real government reform, and for corrupt politicians to face justice. In response to Sistani’s sermon, a beleaguered Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi released a statement on Saturday pleading for protesters to return home. "The protests have helped and will help pressure political groups, the government... to reform and accept change," Abdul-Mahdi said in a statement on Saturday. "However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... continuing protests must allow for a return to normal life, which will lead to legitimate demands being met." Internet access remained limited on Saturday after a government shutdown earlier this week. Netblocks, a civil society group that tracks internet restrictions, said web access had again been shut across most of Iraq after four hours of partial restoration on Saturday. There were still widespread internet outages in Baghdad and across the south early on Saturday evening, with access to social media heavily restricted. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |