Yesterday, Iraqi police fought street clashes with anti-government demonstrators, as they fired tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse youths throwing stones at them and demanding the reform of the political system they see as highly corrupt. Meanwhile, three Katyusha rockets landed in the vicinity of the US embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad.
In detail, the wave of protests continued yesterday, in the capital and the cities of southern Iraq, interspersed with clashes between demonstrators and security forces on the main Muhammad al-Qasim Street in eastern Baghdad, during which security forces fired tear gas and live bullets in the air to disperse the demonstrators.
Medical and security sources said that six Iraqis, including two policemen, were killed the day before yesterday, and dozens were injured in the capital Baghdad and other cities during clashes between demonstrators and security forces after renewed anti-government demonstrations in the wake of the lull that lasted for several weeks.
The sources added that three of the protesters died in the hospital from the wounds they sustained, after the police fired live ammunition in Baghdad's Aviation Square. They pointed out that two people were wounded with bullets while the third hit a tear gas bomb.
The sources said that the police killed a fourth protester in the city of Karbala.
Witnesses from Reuters said that protesters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at the police, who responded by firing tear gas and sound grenades.
"They (the security forces) should stop shooting and aim at us," said a protester in Baghdad, who declined to give her name.
Violent clashes erupted for the third consecutive day in Baghdad's aviation square and a number of cities in the south of the country, including Basra, Karbala and Najaf, as protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs at the police, who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets.
"Our demonstrations are peaceful," a masked protester in Baghdad, who declined to be named, told Reuters Television. We demand the resignation of the government and we demand an independent, non-partisan prime minister. ”
Several southern cities, including Nasiriyah, Diwaniyah, Kut, Basra, and Amara, are also witnessing protests. Protesters cut key roads and bridges with burning tires.
Government departments and educational institutions continued to close their doors in these cities, according to correspondents of Agence France-Presse.
In Nasiriyah, demonstrators gathered in the city center, most of whom were university students, and held up Iraqi flags, chanting, among them, "Soul in blood, we will 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 trucks between them intended for the transportation of oil to stop, according to an AFP correspondent.
In the southern Karbala governorate, protesters escalated their movements for the second consecutive day, trying to block some roads, while security forces confronted them with tear gas and live bullets.
In the neighboring Najaf governorate, protesters managed to block one of the roads leading to Najaf airport, while they continued to block most roads in the governorate.
The situation did not differ much in Dhi Qar Governorate, where the demonstrators cut most bridges and intersections, and the majority of government departments in the province closed their doors.
In the Basra governorate, the oil-rich city of Basra witnessed protests, during which protesters cut a road downtown with burning tires. Security sources said that a civilian car ran over and killed two policemen during the protests. They added that the driver was trying to avoid the location of clashes between protesters and security forces when two security personnel were shocked.
The deadline set by the demonstrators for the political elite to implement their demands ended on Monday, and the deadline that came its idea came from the city of Nasiriyah, the center of Dhi Qar Governorate.
And Iraqi political parties are running marathon negotiations with the aim of naming a prime minister instead of resigning Adel Abdul Mahdi, without reaching an agreement.
Iraqi government media reported that President Barham Saleh is expected this week to appoint a new prime minister, to replace Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who was forced to resign in the face of protests.
Iraqi television stated that Saleh is currently choosing between three politicians to choose who leads a transitional government that works to calm popular anger, adding that his decision is expected to be announced as soon as possible.
Yesterday's protests come the day after the US embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad, was attacked by three Katyusha rockets that fell in its vicinity and did not lead to casualties, according to a security source.
Sources indicated that the three missiles were launched from the Zaafaraniya area outside Baghdad, adding that two of them landed near the American embassy.
The resigned Prime Minister ordered an investigation to be opened into the attack, which is the latest in a series of attacks on US interests in the country, especially following the killing of the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee, in a US strike near Baghdad on January 3. .
Saleh favors 3 politicians to choose who leads a transitional government that works to calm popular anger.