Iraqi forces kill 45 protesters
Iran demands ‘response to aggressors’ after consulate torched in ancient city of Najaf
BAGHDAD/NAJAF—IRAQI security forces shot dead at least 45 protesters on Thursday amid Iran’s condemnation of the torching by demonstrators of its consulate in the city of Najaf. Tehran’s foreign ministry demanded “the Iraqi government’s firm response to the aggressors.” Security forces opened fire with live ammunition and rubber bullets, killing at least 29 in the city of Nassiriya, four in Baghdad and 12 in Najaf.
BAGHDAD/NAJAF—IRAQI securit yf orces sh otd ead at least 45p rotesters on Thursday after demonstrator ss tormed and torched an I rani an c onsulate overnight, in what could mar ka turni ng p oin ti n the uprising agains tt he Tehran-backed authorities.
Iran’s forei gnm inistr yc ondemne dt he a ttack an dd emanded “t hei raqi government ’sf irm response tot he aggressors.”
At least 29 people die d in t he s outher nc ity of Nassiriya when troops opened fire on demonstrator s wh o blocked a bridge before dawn on Thursday and later gathere do utside ap oli ce s tatio n. P olice and medical sources said dozens of other swe r ew ounded.
Four people wer ek ille d in Baghdad, where securit yf orces opened fir ew it hl ive ammunitio nan dr ubber bullets against protesters near ab ridge ove rt he Tigris river, t hes ources said ,and twelve die di n clashes in Najaf.
In Nassiriya thousands of mourners took to t he s treets, defyi ng a cu rfew to bury their dead afte rt he mass shooting.
Vide oo fp rotesters cheering in t hen ight as flames billowed from t hec onsulat ewe re as tunning image after years in which Tehran’s influence among Shiite Muslims i na rab states has been a defining factor i nm iddle East politics.
The blood she dt hat followed was one of t he m ost violent days since the uprising began at t hes ta rto foc tober ,w it han ticorruption demonstrations that swelle di nto a revolt against authorities seen by young demonstrator sass tooges of Tehran.
Iran close dt he Mehr anb order crossing to Iraq on Thursd ay n ight because of security reasons, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported ,c iti nga local borde ro fficial.
“Wit ha ttention to t he recent event s an dt he unres t in t hec ountry o fi raq the Mehran border has been closed from tonight ,” M ojtaba Soleimani, the manage ro f t heb order post said, according to Mehr.
He said it was not clear when t heb order woul dr eopen.
In Najaf, a city of ancient pilgrimage shrines that serves as sea to fi raq’s powerful Shiite clergy, t he I rani an c onsulate was reduce dto a charre dr uin afte rit was storme do vernight.
The protesters, overwhelmingly Shiite, accuse dt he I raqi authorities of turning against the ir o wn people tod efend Iran.
“All the riot police in Najaf an dt he securit yf orces started shooti ng a t us as i fwewe r e bu rni ngi r aq as a wh ole,” a protester who witnesse dt he burning of the consulate told Reuters, asking not to be identified.
Another protester , Al i, describe dt hea ttack on t hec onsulat e as “a b rave act and a reactio nf rom t hei raqi people.”
“We don’t wan tt he I ranians.”
But hep redicted mor ev iolence: “Ther ew ill be revenge fro mi ran, I’m sure. They’r es till her ean dt he securit yf orces are going to keep shooti nga t us.”
So far, the authorities have been unyielding in response to the unrest ,sh ooting dead hundreds of demonstrator sw ith live ammunitio n an dt ear gas, while floati ngp roposals for political reform tha tt hep rotesters dismiss as trivial and cosmetic.
Pri me M inister Adel Abdul Mahdi has so fa rr ejected calls to resign, after meetings with senior politicians that wer ea ttended by t hec ommande ro fi ran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, the elit eun itt hat directs it sm ilitia allies abroad.