Iraqi police fired live ammunition to disperse crowds of protesters who defied a curfew yesterday after 11 people were killed overnight in clashes that represent one of the biggest security challenges in Iraq since the defeat of ISIS. In the meantime, a source in the police command of the province of Salah al-Din closed the main road, which connects Baghdad to the cities of northern Iraq, through the province of Salah al-Din, adjacent to the capital Baghdad, and to prevent entry to it permanently.

The main road and public places roamed Baghdad, but by daytime small and sporadic demonstrations had begun to gather again in defiance of the open ban, imposed in the capital from 5 am.

Clashes overnight in cities in the south have more than doubled the death toll, bringing the total to 19 in three days of unrest.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces blocked key roads between neighborhoods in Baghdad on Thursday, while some parts of Baghdad refused to heed the curfew.

The site «Alsumaria News» Iraqi news that Iraqi security forces have cut off the main roads between their neighborhoods, in an attempt to prevent the protests sweeping some areas in Baghdad.

According to the site, renewed, yesterday morning, shooting in the Iraqi capital against the backdrop of ongoing protests for the third day in a row, despite the curfew in Baghdad.

Iraqi riot police fired live bullets again in the air yesterday to disperse dozens of demonstrators who lit tires in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad.

Elsewhere in the capital and in several cities, protesters continue to block roads or light tires in front of official buildings, in Najaf and Nasiriyah in the south.

The demonstrations began in Baghdad last Tuesday, and quickly swelled and spread to other cities, mostly in the south.

The protesters poured their anger on the government, the political elite they accuse of corruption, and did nothing to improve their living conditions, demanding jobs, improving services and "overthrowing the regime."

Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi chaired an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and ordered a curfew in Baghdad yesterday. No one is allowed on the streets not coming to and from the airport, ambulances, some government officials and visitors to religious sites.

Protesters in Baghdad are seeking to go to Tahrir Square in the center of the capital, which is a traditional starting point for demonstrations in the city, and separated from the Green Zone Bridge Republic, where security forces have tightened cordon since Tuesday.

The Baghdad Provincial Council announced that it decided to suspend work, yesterday, in all of its constituencies, which will allow the security forces to strengthen itself and strengthen its grip in the face of demonstrators.

In the meantime, a source in the police command of the province of Salah al-Din closed the main road, which connects Baghdad to the cities of northern Iraq, through the province of Salah al-Din adjacent to the capital Baghdad.

Colonel Mohammed Khalil al-Bazi said that «the Iraqi authorities permanently closed the road linking the capital Baghdad and the provinces of northern Iraq, and that the closure was done from the control points of Abaaji and Taji 50 and 10 km north of Baghdad».

On the other hand, a border crossing between Iraq and Iran was closed "at the request of the Iraqi authorities," according to Iranian television.

The Khosravi crossing, located 570 kilometers east of the capital Tehran, according to the same source. The border in this area was closed the night before.

The protests are related to league matches

The bloody protests in Iraq since Tuesday and a curfew imposed by the authorities have prompted the local football federation to postpone the remaining matches of the third round of the league.

"As a result of the situation, and because of the curfew, it was decided to postpone the competition games, which are supposed to be held in the capital Baghdad and other cities," said Yahya Karim, a member of the Iraqi Federation.

Karim did not set a new date for the stage matches. BAGHDAD - AFP

19

At least one dead

The outcome of three days of

Bloody protests.