Clashes between Iraqi security forces and protesters have killed at least 16 people and wounded 919 over three days, Iraqi Human Rights Commission official Ali al-Bayati said yesterday as an indefinite curfew came into effect.
Some of the protesters died after being hit by live ammunition, al-Bayati said in an interview.
One member of the security forces was killed and 185 were injured, he said.
Photo: Reuters
Iraqi forces have fought with protesters who took to the streets in Baghdad and elsewhere this week to protest against unemployment, government corruption and a lack of basic services — grievances that have led to repeated bouts of unrest in OPEC’s second-largest oil producer.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi ordered the ban on movements across Baghdad starting at 5am to stem the demonstrations.
Early yesterday, some vehicles and civilians were seen on the capital’s streets, a photographer said, but residents are wary that more protests could erupt after cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for “a general strike.”
The tension has been exacerbated by a near-total Internet shutdown, the closure of government offices and at least one overnight explosion that hit the Green Zone, where some ministries and embassies are.
A security source inside the area told reporters that there were two blasts, likely caused by indirect fire a little over a week after two rockets hit near the US embassy there.
The apparent attack came hours after security forces sealed off the Green Zone “until further notice,” fearing angry protesters would swarm state buildings or foreign missions.
Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to other cities in the country’s south.
Riot police in the capital have used water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds in an attempt to disperse protesters from the central Tahrir Square and other areas.
Into the night on Wednesday, marches from different parts of Baghdad attempted to converge on Tahrir.
However, with Internet access virtually shut, demonstrators have struggled to communicate with each other or post footage of the latest clashes.
In the cities of Najaf and Nasiriyah further to the south on Wednesday, security forces fired on protesters and curfews were also declared.
The protests appear to be largely spontaneous so far, with crowds carrying Iraqi flags and shunning any involvement by the nation’s main political players.
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