Page 11 - AT

A11
WORLD NEWS Monday 4 noveMber 2019

Iraqi protesters attack Iran consulate in Karbala

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA been underway since Oct.
and JOSEPH KRAUSS 17, and have repeatedly
Associated Press blocked major roads in or-
BAGHDAD (AP) — Dozens der to ramp up pressure on
of Iraqi protesters attacked authorities. Security forces
the Iranian consulate in the have fired tear gas, rubber
Shiite holy city of Karbala bullets and live ammuni-
on Sunday, scaling the tion at the protesters, kill-
concrete barriers ringing ing at least 256 people in
the building, bringing down two waves of demonstra-
an Iranian flag and replac- tions since early October.
ing it with the Iraqi flag, Since the protests restart-
eyewitnesses said. ed on Oct. 25 after a brief
Security forces fired in the hiatus, there have been
air to disperse the protest- near-continuous clashes
ers who threw stones and on two bridges leading to
burned tires around the the heavily fortified Green
building on a street corner Zone, the headquarters of
in Karbala south of Bagh- the government and home
dad. There were no imme- to several foreign embas-
diate reports of casualties in sies. In his statement, Ab-
the incident, which comes dul-Mahdi differentiated
amid ongoing protests in between peaceful protest-
the capital Baghdad and ers, who he said had turned
majority-Shiite provinces in the demonstrations into
the south. They witnesses Posters of protesters who have died in anti-government demonstrations and a poster of Lt. Gen. "popular festivals" that bring
spoke to The Associated Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, left, the former commander of the country's elite counterterrorism forces the nation together, and
Press on condition of ano- whose dismissal sparked protests about a month ago, hang on a building near Tahrir Square, in "outlaws" who he said had
nymity because of security Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. used the demonstrators as
concerns. The protests are Associated Press "human shields" while at-
directed at a postwar po- been killed in the security Thousands of students have of protests in the capital tacking security forces. The
litical system and a class of crackdown this month. skipped classes to take part and across the mostly Shi- prime minister had met with
elite leaders that Iraqis ac- The protests have grown in the street rallies, blaming ite south. He said the threat top security officials late
cuse of pillaging the coun- and demonstrators are the political elite for wide- to oil facilities and the clo- Saturday.
try's wealth while the coun- now calling for sweeping spread corruption, high sure of roads had cost the The Iraqi High Commission
try grows poorer. But pro- changes, not just the gov- unemployment and poor country "billions" of dollars for Human Rights mean-
testers have also directed ernment's resignation. public services. and contributed to price while said Siba al-Mah-
their rage at neighboring Tens of thousands of pro- Iraq's prime minister on Sun- increases that affect ev- dawi, an activist and physi-
Iran and the powerful Iraqi testers have gathered in day called on anti-govern- eryone. Earlier Sunday, cian who has taken part in
Shiite militias tied to it. Baghdad's central Tahrir ment protesters to reopen protesters blocked roads the protests, was abducted
The anti-government pro- Square and across south- roads saying "it's time for life around their main protest on Saturday night by an
tests in Karbala, Baghdad ern Iraq in recent days, call- to return to normal," after site with burning tires and unknown group. The semi-
and cities across southern ing for the overhaul of the a month of massive rallies barbed wire, unfurling a official body called on the
Iraq have often turned vi- political system established demanding wide-ranging banner at one roadblock government and the se-
olent, with security forces after the 2003 U.S.-led inva- political change. reading: "Roads closed by curity forces to reveal her
opening fire and protesters sion. Protesters have also In a statement, Prime Min- order of the people." They whereabouts. Al-Mahdawi
torching government build- taken over a large tower in ister Adel Abdul-Mahdi appeared to be borrow- was one of several doctors
ings and headquarters of the square that was aban- called for markets, facto- ing a tactic from Lebanon, who have volunteered to
Iran-backed militias. More doned after it was dam- ries, schools and universi- where similar anti-govern- provide medical aid to the
than 250 people have aged in the war. ties to reopen after days ment demonstrations have protesters.q