Deadly Anti Government Protest Continues in Iraq, Forces Fire Live Rounds at Protesters

Security forces in Iraq  have opened fire on protesters in Baghdad, killing and wounding several people, according to witnesses, the latest bout of bloodshed amid ongoing protests demanding an overhaul of the country’s political system.

According to the witnesses , the police responded the  protest  with live ammunition, not tear gas, and that at least five people may have been killed, while  medical source told that  about 30 people have been injured and these injuries are gunshot wounds to the head and face.

The injured include security forces as well as protesters.

A spokesperson for Iraq’s Prime Minister Abdel  Abdul Mahdi  disputed the claims however,  that “no one has been killed [in Baghdad] this evening”.

Security forces shut down three vital bridges on Tuesday as anti-government protests continued in Baghdad, with at least three anti-government protesters killed in clashes with security forces in southern Iraq.

On the other hand, a group of protestors in southern Iraq set fire to the homes of three lawmakers Tuesday from different political blocs.

The incident took place in al-Shatrah district in Dhi Qar province.

The houses belonged to Naji al-Satra from the Sairoon parliamentary bloc backed by influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Muna al-Gurabi from the Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri and Zeynep al-Hazreci from the State of Law Coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Iraq has been rocked by a second wave of protests since Oct. 25 against deep-seated corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services.

At least 260 people have been killed and 12,000 others injured since then, according to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights.