Clashes in Karbala kill 2 protesters
BAGHDAD: Two more Iraqi protesters have been killed in renewed clashes in the Shi’ite holy city of Karbala, a flashpoint in weeks of anti-government demonstrations, a protester and a medic said yesterday.
They said the two were killed in clashes near the provincial headquarters in the city. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks in the capital, Baghdad, and across the Shi’ite south, demanding sweeping political change. The protesters complain of widespread corruption, a lack of job opportunities and poor basic services, with regular power cuts despite the country’s vast oil reserves.
The protesters have focused their anger on Shi’ite political parties and militias, many of which have close ties to Iran. Across the south, they have attacked party and militia headquarters, setting some of them ablaze.
In Karbala, protesters attacked the Iranian consulate earlier this week, hurling firebombs over its walls. Security forces killed at least three people and wounded several others as they dispersed the protest. Days earlier, masked men suspected of links to the security forces opened fire on a demonstration in Karbala, killing at least 18 people.
In the capital, Baghdad, protesters clashed with security forces on a fourth bridge across the Tigris River, after previous clashes forced the closure of
three other bridges, paralysing traffic. The protests have been centered in Tahrir Square, on the eastern bank of the Tigris, and the demonstrators have been trying to reach the Green Zone that is located on the other side, which houses government offices and foreign embassies.
The US embassy in Baghdad issued a statement calling on the government to “engage seriously and urgently with Iraqi citizens who are demanding reform.’
“Iraqis must be free to make their own choices about the future of their nation,’’ it said.