Demonstrators flee attack by gunmen
Gunmen in cars opened fire in Baghdad’s Khilani Square yesterday, leaving at least 15 people dead and 60 wounded, Iraqi security and medical officials said. At least two of the dead were policemen.
Protesters fearing for their lives ran from the plaza to nearby Tahrir Square and mosques to take cover. It wasn’t immediately clear who carried out the attack.
The attack came as anti-government demonstrators occupied parts of Jumhuriya, Sinak and Ahar bridges in a standoff with security forces. All the bridges lead to or near the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government.
It also came a day after a string of suspicious stabbing incidents targeting demonstrators left at least 13 wounded in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Iraq’s leaderless protest movement.
At least 400 people have died since the leaderless uprising began on October 1, with thousands taking to the streets in Baghdad and predominantly Shi’ite southern Iraq to decry corruption, poor services and a lack of jobs, and calling for an end to the political system that was imposed after the 2003 United States-led invasion. Security forces have dispersed the crowds with live fire, tear gas and sonic bombs.
Earlier yesterday, Iraq’s highest Shi’ite religious authority called for the formation of a new government within the allotted deadline, and without foreign interference, as the clock ticks down on lawmakers to select a new prime minister after the resignation of Adel Abdul-Mahdi last week.
‘‘We hope the head of the new government and its members are chosen within the constitutional deadline and according to the aspirations of the people and away from outside influence,’’ Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in his weekly Friday sermon in the holy city of Najaf. He added that the
Shi’ite religious establishment would not take part in the process of forming a government.
Al-Sistani, Iraq’s most powerful religious figure, whose opinion holds sway over many Iraqis, also said peaceful protesters should increase their ranks and push out saboteurs, while respecting the role of the ‘‘indispensable’’ security forces.