Page 10 - AT

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019
Protests escalate in Iraq: 9 dead, hundreds wounded

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA leads from the square to
BAGHDAD (AP) — At least Baghdad’s fortified Green
seven people were killed Zone — home to govern-
and dozens were wound- ment offices and foreign
ed in clashes that spread embassies — was closed.
across several Iraqi prov- Activists drove around in
inces on Wednesday as se- a car, distributing water
curity forces fired live am- to protesters and soldiers
munition and tear gas for alike.
the second day to disperse “We are not against you,
anti-government protesters you are our brothers,” one
demanding jobs, improved activist told a soldier as he
services and an end to cor- offered him a cold bottle of
ruption. water.
The deaths brought the In Zaafaraniya, southeast
overall number of protest- of Baghdad, at least five
ers killed in two days of vio- people were treated for
lence to nine. Protests on breathing difficulties af-
Tuesday had left two dead ter police used tear gas to
_ one in Baghdad and an- break up a small protest.
other in the city of Nasiriyah Police also used tear gas
_ and over 200 wounded. in al-Shaab, north of the
The renewed clashes oc- Iraqi capital. Security offi-
curred despite a massive Civilians take cover while Iraq security forces fire tear gas and live fire in the air to disperse anti- cials said five people were
security dragnet mounted government protesters in central Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. arrested in al-Shaab and
by the government in an Associated Press three in Zaafaraniya.
effort to quash the eco- The protests appear to be
nomically-driven protests. The violence was some of and more than 200 were old girl was also killed when spontaneous and without
Hundreds of heavily armed the worst between pro- wounded. she was hit by a car speed- political leadership, orga-
security forces and riot po- testers and security forces A few dozen protesters ing away from a check- nized by people on social
lice deployed on Baghdad in Iraq, signaling that the tried to reach Tahrir Square point amid protests. media against corruption
streets, blocking all inter- war-weary country could again on Wednesday Security officials said au- and lack of basic services,
sections leading to a major be facing a new round of morning but were met with thorities imposed a curfew such as electricity and wa-
central square Wednes- political instability. Iraq has scores of riot police who in several southern Iraqi ter.
day to prevent a repeat of been caught in the middle formed a human barrier cities including Nasiriyah, Dozens of university gradu-
Tuesday’s protests. Parked of U.S.-Iran tensions in the and soldiers who blocked Amara and Hilla after pro- ates unable to find jobs in
armored personnel carriers Middle East, putting an ad- roads, sometimes with testers attacked govern- the corruption-plagued but
and SUVs stood guard and ditional strain on the fragile barbed wire. Security forc- ment buildings there. They oil-rich country also joined
by mid-afternoon, residents government in Baghdad es again fired tear gas and spoke on condition of ano- the rallies. Politicians de-
said authorities had shut that hosts thousands of U.S. live ammunition into the air nymity in line with regula- nounced the violence and
down social media plat- troops and powerful para- to disperse the protesters, tions at least one, influential Shi-
forms such as Facebook, military forces allied with chasing them away, ac- NetBlocks, which monitors ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr,
Twitter and WhatsApp. Iran. cording to officials. cybersecurity and internet called for an investigation.
Groups of protesters contin- The U.S. Embassy in Bagh- Saadoun Street, a major governance, reported that Iraq’s interior and health
ued to take to the streets, dad called for restraint commercial thoroughfare Internet access was cut off ministries issued a joint
some of them calling for from all sides. “The right to leading to Tahrir Square, across much of Iraq and statement saying one per-
toppling the government. demonstrate peacefully is was deserted and all the social and messaging apps son was killed in Baghdad
Thick black smoke hung a fundamental right in all shops and restaurants were blocked amid the growing on Tuesday and 200 were
over the city as demon- democracies, but there is closed. Smoke could be unrest. wounded, including 40
strators set fire to tires and no place for violence in seen near Tahrir and inter- The protests are the most members of the security
garbage containers. Bursts demonstrations from any mittent gunfire could be serious challenge to Prime forces.
of heavy gunfire could be side,” it posted on Twitter. heard, as well as ambu- Minister Adel Abdul-Mah- The statement said authori-
heard intermittently. At The protests, organized on lance sirens. di's nearly year-old gov- ties "regretted" the violence
night, protesters closed the social media, started in “They have transformed ernment. The premier held that accompanied the
road leading to Baghdad’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday, Tahrir Square into Tahrir bar- a national security emer- protests, blaming "a group
airport with roadblocks and initially driven by economy racks,” said Hussein Saleh, gency meeting Wednes- of rioters" for inciting vio-
burning tires, keeping the woes. They began peace- 24. “There are more security day. His office later said the lence.
way into the city open for fully, calling for an end to forces than there are pro- meeting denounced the The U.N. secretary-gener-
arrivals. corruption, improved basic testers,” he added, stand- violence that accompa- al’s special representative
The confrontations quickly services and more jobs. But ing with a small placard nied the protests and said for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-
spread to at least seven they soon turned violent that read: “I am protesting measures will be taken to Plasschaert, expressed
other provinces in the after security forces fought to take my rights.” protect citizens and public “grave concern” over the
country, with an estimated back demonstrators with Security and medical of- property and that the gov- violence at the demonstra-
3,000 demonstrators tak- water cannons, tear gas ficials said three protest- ernment will spare no effort tions in Baghdad and else-
ing to the streets in the and live ammunition. ers were killed in Baghdad to fulfill the demands of the where.
southern city of Basra in a Protesters responded by Wednesday and four in Na- protesters. “Every individual has the
largely peaceful protest on calling for toppling the siriyah, about 200 miles (320 Earlier in the morning, mu- right to speak freely, in
Wednesday evening. Pro- government, throwing kilometers) southeast of the nicipal workers were spray- keeping with the law,” she
tests and clashes were also stones at security forces capital. All officials spoke ing Tahrir Square with water said in a statement, urging
reported in Najaf, Nasiri- and setting tires and trash on condition of anonymity while bulldozers removed authorities to exercise re-
yah, Waset, Diwaniyah and containers on fire. At least in line with regulations. In debris from Tuesday’s dem- straint in their handling of
in other places. two protesters were killed Zaafaraniyah, a 10-year- onstrations. A bridge that the protests.q