Six protesters killed in southern Iraq rally

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Six people were killed and more than 20 wounded Tuesday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in ongoing unrest, as protesters rally against economic woes and the dire state of public services.

Medical sources previously said two demonstrators were killed on Tuesday as thousands of people rallied outside the local government headquarters in Basra.

During the protests, some people in the crowd hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the government building, while security forces responded with tear gas and by firing shots into the air.

Around 15 members of the security forces were injured in the clashes, the medical sources said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said an investigation had been launched into the death of another protester the day before.

Iraqi protesters demonstrate against their government and the lack of basic services in the southern city of Basra, September 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

Addressing his weekly press conference in the capital Baghdad, Abadi reasserted he had ordered "no real bullets are to be fired, in the direction of protesters or in the air."

Promises from Baghdad

Police and military cordons had been put in place, blocking numerous roads, while Basra's hospitals were filled with protesters bringing in people wounded in the clashes.

Tamimi warned of further escalation "if the government doesn't respond to the demands of demonstrators."

The government has already announced an emergency plan in response to the protests, while promising billions of dollars in investment for southern Iraq.

But protesters are wary of such pledges from the outgoing administration, as Iraqi lawmakers are in the process of forming a new government after May's election.

Political corruption has also fuelled protests, which erupted in Basra on July 8 before spreading across southern Iraq and reaching the capital.

A litany of social problems – from unemployment to electricity cuts – have also been a central complaint of demonstrators.

Iraqis have also called on authorities to clean up the water supply, with pollution blamed for putting 20,000 people in hospital in Basra province alone.

Source(s): AFP