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Baghdad, Iraq , July 13, 2018.
(Associated Press)
Iraqis clamoring for better public services and jobs slid back Sunday in the oil-rich Basra province as authorities put security forces on alert and blocked the Internet on the sixth day of the war. demonstrations in Basra.
Protests come at a delicate time as ordinary Iraqis and political parties await the final results of a recount of the national election ballots in May before the formation of a new government. The elections, the fourth since the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, saw the lowest touronaute in 15 years and got married with allegations of fraud and irregularities.
Thousands of protesters gathered Activist Laith Hussein told the Associated Press on the phone that security forces guarding the local government building had opened fire, causing protesters to be dispersed. he adds. 19659007] A man burns tires at a demonstration demanding services and jobs in Basra, 550 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday, July 13, 2018. (Photo AP) “/>
A man burns tires during a demonstration of services and jobs in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, July 13, 2018.
(Associated Press)
Elsewhere in Basra, protesters also forced the authorities to close the vital port of Um Qasr in the Persian Gulf and planned to march to the borders with Kuwait and the city. 39, Iran, he said. On Saturday night, a group of protesters attempted to break into the headquarters of the Badr organization, one of the powerful Shiite parties, which also has an armed wing, but guards opened fire , hurting some protesters, said Hussein. could not confirm whether there had been deaths from one or the other of the incidents. Health officials and police were not immediately available for comment.
Similar demonstrations also took place on Saturday in Baghdad. Hundreds of people have entered Tahrir Square in Baghdad and the Shiite district of Sadr City. Some protesters set fire to the tires and attempted to break into the Badr organization's office in Sadr City, prompting the guards to open fire. On Tuesday, security forces opened fire, killed one person and injured five people, and spread to other provinces in a few days. Angry crowds burst into local government buildings and burned the offices of some political parties in some cities
In Najaf, protesters broke into the busiest airport in Iraq, damaging the passenger terminal and delaying the fighting. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dispatched a six-member cabinet led by oil minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi. The committee has promised jobs for those living around the oil fields and has announced allocations for urgent projects, mainly for water.
Protesters Iraqis seeking services and jobs burn tires during a demonstration in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, on July 13, 2018.
(Associated Press)
On Friday, al-Abadi went to Basra from the NATO summit in Brussels to try to dispel the unrest. He also asked the public company Basra Oil Company to provide more jobs to the inhabitants and announced urgent allocations.
But that did not appease the protesters.
"These ads are only anesthesia for the inhabitants of Basra," the activist said. "Every year, they make the same promises, and nothing happens on the ground."
The only solution is to "replace the current faces that represent the parties that did not develop Basra with new faces of new political parties in Basra." Like others, Hussein asked Baghdad to empowering a new local government in Basra
Demonstrations were stimulated by a representative of the spiritual leader of the Shiite community, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, offered his solidarity with the protesters during the sermon Friday, but called for peaceful demonstrations.
Basra is the second largest province of Iraq and home to about 70 percent of the country's proven oil reserves of 153.1 billion barrels. in the Persian Gulf, on the border of Kuwait and Iran, and is nowadays the only hub of Iraq for all oil exports to the international market. [19659017]
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