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One killed, 200 wounded in Iraq’s anti-government protests
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) ‐ An Iraqi person was killed and 200 others were maimed Tuesday in festivities between protesters and security forces in different Iraqi cities, the Ministry of Health said.The festivities with demonstrators also left 40 coppers maimed, the ministry said in a press statement. Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella grabbed the cocoanut cream... a government security body blamed rioters for the fall of victims, saying that some of them sough to stir up violence among peaceful protesters. The Security Media Cell, in its statement, called on the demonstrators to exercise restraint and respect the right to demonstrate, which is guaranteed by the constitution. Several Iraqi provinces have seen mass protests in response to online campaigns to express anger about the deteriorating situation in the country, topped by the lack of services, rampant corruption and high unemployment rates. Some protesters rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud in favor of Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi, who was fired from his post as commander of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (ICTS) last week. The decision to dismiss al-Saadi and transfer him to work under the command of the Defense Ministry made a stir among observers, given that Saidi was a starring name in the three-year battles and subsequent victory against Islamic State  ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... Lions of Islam in late 2017.
Medics at Sheikh Zaid Hospital who spoke to Rudaw put the figure at three dead.. Firebrand Shiite cleric and Sayirun alliance chief Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted on Tuesday evening calling on the president, prime minister, and speaker of the parliament to launch an inquiry into what happened. Among the protesters Rudaw met a unit of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi. Unlike other factions of the PMF which operate independently of the government, theirs was under the command of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense (MoD). The faction complained of “marginalization” within the security apparatus, saying they do not get paid a government salary like their Iraqi Army counterparts and lack sufficient logistical support. “For how long will the state turn its back on them [MoD PMF]?” one demanded. Iraq’s second city of Basra also saw protests on Tuesday, according to the city’s Tribal Council secretary general Sheikh Raid al-Firieji. Security forces responded with “excessive force” and arrested protestors, he told Rudaw. In the summer of 2018, protests over unemployment and inadequate water and electricity supply in Basra soon spread across the country. They were met with violent state suppression, killing at least 14 protesters. A member of Iraqi parliament’s biggest political bloc warned Monday against the politicization of the protests by opportunists. “We warn against the politicization of protests or its deviation from its legitimate goals and demands,” Rami al-Sikeini, a Sayirun Alliance MP from Basra, told Rudaw. Last year’s protests dashed the hopes of former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi of gaining a second term in office. Current Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was elected as an independent candidate who does not belong to a particular parliamentary bloc, making him vulnerable to pressure from both the public and parliamentary forces.
According to medical and police sources, most of the wounded needed treatment for tear gas inhalation and some were injured by rubber bullets. A health official in Dhi Qar later said that one protester was killed and two others were wounded in the southern province. - Police block bridge to Green Zone - Demonstrators were cleared from Tahrir Square a first time but then regrouped, facing a steady volley of live shots, water cannons and tear gas from security forces. More shots were fire even after the crowds had dispersed into adjacent neighborhoods. Some protesters made their way towards Al-Jumhuriyah Bridge, which leads into the high-security Green Zone that houses government offices and foreign embassies. Police had set up metal barricades and stationed trucks at the mouth of the bridge to prevent protesters from crossing, and a security source inside the zone told AFP that reinforcements were requested. The gathering was the biggest demonstration against Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi since he came to power in late October 2018, just months after demonstrations that engulfed the southern city of Basra last summer. According to the World Bank, youth unemployment in Iraq is running at around 25 percent, double the national average. Other protests in Nasiriyah and Najaf, south of Baghdad, on Tuesday saw hundreds gather in anger at poor services before also being dispersed by tear gas, AFP correspondents there said. Since 2004, a year after the US-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, almost $450 billion of public funds has vanished into the pockets of shady politicians and businessmen, according to official figures. Posted by: trailing wife 2019-10-02 |
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