Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s most powerful Shiite religious leader said Monday he backs a U.N. roadmap aimed at meeting the demands of anti-government protesters who have been rallying in recent weeks despite a bloody crackdown by security forces, but he expressed concern that political parties would not carry them out.

11 Nov 2019; MEMO: The number of civilians and security forces killed in protests in Iraq since last month has risen to 319, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission said on Friday.

In a statement released yesterday, the commission said it was able to document the death of these people through official sources, noting that it could not ascertain the number of those wounded during the protests. However, independent human rights organisations confirmed earlier that 8,000 people had been wounded.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States has called on Iraq’s government to stop using violence against protesters, reform its electoral system and hold early elections, after weeks of unrest in which security forces have killed nearly 300 protesters.

The protests that began on Oct. 1 were initially focused on a lack of jobs and services but quickly morphed into denunciation of the sectarian power-sharing system of government introduced in 2003 and the political elites they say benefit from it.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations’ mission for Iraq on Sunday proposed a roadmap out of the country’s social upheaval, while Amnesty International said Iraq’s crackdown on anti-government protests has descended into a “bloodbath.”

At least 319 protesters have been killed by security forces since the economically driven protests and unrest began last month, according to the latest figures from the Iraqi Human Rights Commission released Sunday.

10 Nov 2019; MEMO: A barrage of 17 rockets landed near a military base housing US forces in northern Iraq, reported by Anadolu Agency.

General Noman al-Zawbae, commander of Nineveh Operations Command, described Friday’s incident near Qayyara military base as “accidental”.

No casualties or damages were reported.

It remains unclear who was behind the fire.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security forces killed six anti-government protesters and wounded more than 100 others on Saturday, pushing them back from three flashpoint bridges in central Baghdad, medical and security officials said.

Five of the protesters were killed by live ammunition, while the sixth died after being shot in the head with a tear gas canister. The Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq’s Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday that although protests were important in bringing about reform, life in the country must be allowed to return to normal.

“The protests have helped and will help pressure political groups, the government ... to reform and accept change. However continuing protests must allow for a return to normal life, which will lead to legitimate demands being met”, he said.

The Iraqi prime minister also said in a statement that new electoral reforms would be announced in the “coming few days”.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces opened fire on Wednesday to disperse protesters gathered on a bridge in central Baghdad, shooting live bullets in the air, a Reuters witness said. There appeared to be no casualties.

Protesters had blocked the Shuhada bridge since Tuesday afternoon as part of efforts to bring the country to a standstill, with thousands continuing to partake in anti-government demonstrations in the capital and southern provinces

BAGHDAD (AP) — At least three anti-government protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces in southern Iraq, officials said Tuesday, as authorities tried to reopen the country’s main port, which had been blocked by demonstrators for three days.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The shoes are coming off again in Iraq.

In years past, Iraqis have beaten their shoes against portraits of Saddam Hussein in a sign of anger and insult. In 2008, an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at a ducking President George W. Bush during a news conference to vent his outrage at the U.S.-led invasion.

Now protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square are using their shoes again — slapping them against banners depicting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.