Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 13 February 2017

Rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone after protests turn violent

Associated Press crowds pushed toward the Shots rang out in central
BAGHDAD (AP) — Two rock- Green Zone left two police- Baghdad as security forces
ets landed in Baghdad’s man and three protesters used live fire and tear gas
highly fortified Green Zone dead, according to police to disperse the crowds. An
on Saturday night following and hospital officials. Associated Press team at
clashes at anti-government The officials said six other the scene witnessed am-
protests that left five dead, policemen were injured bulances rushing away
according to Iraqi security along with dozens of pro- protesters suffering from
and hospital officials. testers. The violent out- breathing difficulties.
The rocket attack left no break prompted the gov- Hospital officials who spoke
casualties as the munitions ernment to call for a “full on condition of anonymity
landed on the parade investigation.” as they were not allowed
grounds in the center of the The demonstrators loyal to to brief journalists said the
highly fortified Baghdad al-Sadr gathered in Bagh- policemen died of gun-
compound that is home dad’s downtown Tah- shot wounds. They gave no
to Iraq’s government and rir square demanded an details as to the cause of
most foreign embassies. It overhaul of the commission death of the protesters.
was not immediately clear overseeing local elections While at times the crowds
who fired the projectiles. scheduled this year. Al-Sadr An injured man is assisted after reacting to tear gas fired by advanced toward Bagh-
Saturday’s protests were has accused the commis- security forces during a protest by followers of influential Iraqi dad’s highly fortified Green
called for by influential cler- sion of being riddled with cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demanded that local elections be held Zone, by afternoon they
ic Muqtada al-Sadr and corruption and has called on schedule this year, in Tahrir square, Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, began to disperse after a
Feb. 11, 2017.
clashes that erupted as for its overhaul. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim) statement from al-Sadr’s
office called on his follow-
Turkish president says troops advancing in northern Syria ers to refrain from trying to
enter the compound.
BASSEM MROUE fighters have begun desert- tion forces advancing from new phase in its Raqqa of- Meanwhile, Iraq’s prime
Associated Press ing al-Bab, which has been the north are racing to seize fensive, aiming to capture minister ordered an investi-
BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey’s pres- under attack for weeks. But al-Bab before Syrian gov- towns and villages east of gation into the violence.
ident says his troops and the Britain-based Syrian Ob- ernment forces reach the Raqqa. The U.S.-led coali- “The prime minister ordered
allied Syrian fighters have servatory for Human Rights, town from the south. The tion has targeted several a full investigation into the
reached the heart of the which relies on a network Turkish-backed forces are bridges across the Euphra- injuries among security
Islamic State stronghold of activists inside Syria, says still a long way from Raqqa, tes River in support of the forces and protesters dur-
of al-Bab in northern Syria Turkish troops have yet to which is largely surrounded operation. Turkey is leading ing the demonstration to-
and will eventually march enter the town’s center, by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurd- Syrian opposition forces in day in Tahrir square,” read
on the extremists’ de fac- with the fighting still con- ish forces. Last week, the a broad operation called a statement from Prime
to capital, Raqqa. Recep centrated on its outskirts. Kurdish-led Syria Demo- “Euphrates Shield” against Minister Haider al-Abadi’s
Tayyip Erdogan said IS The Turkish-backed opposi- cratic Forces launched a both IS and the SDF. q office Saturday evening. q