Iraqi witnesses and medical sources reported yesterday that seven demonstrators were killed and more than 300 others were injured in a wave of violence in the governorates of Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar and Karbala between security forces and demonstrators, since last night, and the crowds of thousands of demonstrators, despite the tight security measures, and the closure of streets in Baghdad Nine governorates, with the escalation of civil disobedience, and the closure of roads in several areas.
In Nasiriyah, which is preparing with Diwaniya, spearhead in the wave of protests in the south, three demonstrators were shot dead in clashes with security forces, according to medical sources, the sources pointed out that 53 demonstrators were injured.
Three demonstrators were killed in the town of Umm Qasr in the oil-rich province of Basra, according to the Human Rights Commission in Basra, noting that the injuries were caused by live fire, and another protester was shot dead in Baghdad.
The cities of southern Iraq witnessed an escalation of civil disobedience. In Nasiriyah, demonstrators burned rubber tires and cut five bridges crossing the Euphrates to connect the two parts of the city. In Basra, protesters cut off some of the main roads, including the road leading to the port of Umm Qasr, a vital facility. To import food and medicine.
Witnesses said that the clouds of black smoke covered the streets of Basra and Nasiriyah by burning tires at the entrances of the streets and bridges, while security forces tightened their control on other streets to prevent the flow of demonstrators to the yards of demonstrations.
The civil disobedience came a day after a decision by the Iraqi Ministry of Education aimed at reopening schools, whose students have joined demonstrations significantly in recent weeks in different areas, but the statement did not resonate in Nasiriyah, where schools remained closed, and like most government departments gathered outside protesters They held up banners reading "Closed by the people."
Protests in Nassiriya, 300 km south of Baghdad, expanded to include the burning of a building and the closure of roads leading to the headquarters of the Dhi Qar Oil Company and the Kattia oil field.Most government departments and schools remained closed in Hilla, Diwaniyah, Najaf, Kut, Amara and Basra.
Protesters continued their sit-in in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, especially in Tahrir Square, close to three broken bridges: the Republic, Senk and Ahrar.
The city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, witnessed clashes between security forces and demonstrators.The two sides exchanged throwing Molotov cocktails.The protesters accused the security forces of using live bullets.A large-scale clashes broke out between the parties in the streets and alleys, where the protesters tried to barricade behind iron obstacles.
The protests continued the day after US Vice President Mike Pence made a quick visit to Iraq, including inspecting his country's forces at the al-Assad base in Anbar province, and meeting with the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, in Erbil. A US official who accompanied Pence on his visit said that "security reasons" prevented him from visiting Baghdad to meet with officials.
Border fortifications
Iraqi border police forces have begun to establish security fortifications along the border between Iraq and Syria, in the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar, in order to prevent smuggling or the sequence of terrorists.
Many areas of Nineveh province, especially near the Syrian border northwest of Mosul, are still experiencing violence, kidnapping, killing and bombings carried out by members of the terrorist organization ISIS against Iraqi security forces and civilians, despite Iraq's announcement of the military elimination in 2017 . B.A.