Anti-government protesters in Iraq defy an around-the-clock curfew in Baghdad and other cities as Iraqi security forces use live ammunition and tear gas during a third day of unrest. At least 31 people have died.
An anti-government protester flashes the victory sign during a demonstration, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. Iraqi security forces fired live bullets into the air and used tear gas against a few hundred protesters in central Baghdad on Thursday, hours after a curfew was announced in the Iraqi capital on the heels of two days of deadly violence that gripped the country amid anti-government protests that killed over 19 people in two days.
The streets of Baghdad were littered with tear gas canisters and empty bullet casings. Smoke from burned tires rose above the streets as protesters tried to prevent security forces from advancing. The forces spread barbed wires and armored vehicles to block their path.The unrest is the most serious challenge for Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s year-old government, which also has been caught in the middle of increasing U.S.-Iran tensions in the region.
Soon after, protesters overpowered a soldier in his armored vehicle, setting it on fire and warning other security forces to stay away from the square. The protesters then marched toward the square. There were also fires set to parts of government buildings in the southern provinces of Najaf and Dhiqar.
The mostly leaderless protests have been concentrated in Baghdad and in predominantly Shiite areas of southern Iraq, bringing out jobless youths and university graduates who are suffering under an economy reeling from graft and mismanagement. Masjedi recently told Iraq’s Dijla TV that if the Americans attack Iran, Tehran “will strike back anywhere, including Iraq.”
Baghdad’s main streets were largely deserted Thursday morning, except for Iraqi army vehicles. Some side roads were blocked with barbed wire.
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