One dead and wounded in Baghdad and cut off roads in the south as protests escalated

A protester was killed and about ten others were wounded as security forces attempted to disperse protesters, who tried to block the Muhammad al-Qasim Highway in central Baghdad on Tuesday morning.

Protesters in Wasit, Dhi Qar, Karbala, Diwaniyah, and Basra provinces (south of the country) also cut the main roads and vital bridges, to pressure the authorities to implement their demands for comprehensive reform.

The police in Baghdad fired tear gas and rubber bullets as they tried to disperse the protesters.

Violent clashes broke out for the third day in a row at Baghdad's Aviation Square.

Banditry
Sources in the Najaf Province (south of Baghdad) said that protesters cut off the main road linking the province to Karbala.

Government departments and educational institutions continued to close their doors in many southern governorates.

In Nasiriyah (Dhi Qar Governorate Center), demonstrators gathered in the city center - most of whom are university students - and raised Iraqi flags chanting, "Spirit, blood, we redeem you, Iraq," affirming their commitment to continue the protests until their demands are met.

Others cut main roads linking Nasiriyah with cities to the north and south of it, causing the movement of hundreds of oil trucks to stop.

The oil-rich city of Basra also witnessed protests, during which protesters cut down the road to the city center with burning tires.

The demonstrations have paralyzed Iraq since the first of last October, as the protesters are demanding an end to what they describe as the deep-rooted corruption and the departure of the elites who have held the reins of government since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. More than five hundred people were killed during these demonstrations.

And the night before, Iraqi police sources said that three Katyusha rockets landed in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which includes government buildings and foreign missions.

The sources added that the rockets were launched from the Zafaraniya area outside Baghdad, explaining that two rockets landed near the American embassy.

Politically
Politically, a source in the office of Iraqi President Barham Salih said that the talks of the parties concerned in naming a new prime minister as a substitute for the resigned prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, had not led to any result so far.

The source added in statements to the island that the lack of agreement means that the matter be postponed for the next four days, especially as the President is participating in the Davos Economic Conference that started today, Tuesday.

In the past two days, many political forces have held intense meetings with the aim of resolving their differences and naming a candidate who can win the approval of all parties, including the demonstrators.