Iraq live-fire claims 13 – Internet access cut off

This news has been read 11268 times!

BAGHDAD, Nov 5, (Agencies): Iraqi security forces shot dead at least 13 protesters in the past 24 hours, abandoning weeks of comparative restraint to unleash live gunfire in a bid to crush demonstrations against the political parties that control the government.

After eight people were killed during the day on Monday, security forces shot dead at least five others overnight or early on Tuesday, including one killed with live fire at a funeral procession for another who died hours earlier. More than 260 Iraqis have been killed in demonstrations since the start of October against a government they see as corrupt and beholden to foreign interests, above all Iran.

Most of those deaths took place during the first week of the demonstrations, when snipers shot on crowds from Baghdad rooftops. But after the government appeared to have curbed the use of some deadly tactics, the protests swelled rapidly over the past ten days.

The new violence began a day after Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi appealed to protesters to suspend their movement, which he said had achieved its goals and was hurting the economy. He has said he is willing to resign if politicians agree on a replacement, and has promised a number of reforms. But protesters say that is not enough and the entire political class needs to go.

Since putting down an insurgency by Islamic State in 2017, Iraq has enjoyed two years of comparative stability. But despite its oil wealth, many people live in poverty with limited access to clean water, electricity, healthcare or education.

Protesters blame a political system that shares power among sectarian parties, making corruption entrenched. Abdul Mahdi, in power for a year, enjoys the support of powerful Iran-backed political parties allied to armed militia.

A government report said nearly 150 people were killed in the first week of the unrest in early October, 70 percent from bullets to the head. Since then, security forces mainly used tear-gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to repel protesters.

Though these tactics also caused fatalities, the protests grew far larger as word got out that they were safer, with families, women and elderly people joining demonstrations by self-proclaimed “revolutionary” youth, especially in Baghdad. By the end of last week tens of thousands of people were turning out daily for by far the biggest anti-government demonstrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

This news has been read 11268 times!