Iraqi security forces killed at least 50 protesters Thursday while attempting to disperse demonstrators in the country’s southern cities of Nasiriyah and Najaf, according to medical sources.
SECURITY FORCES’ VIOLENT RESPONSE
A source who works for the Health Department in Dhi Qar province told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity that 32 people were killed and 230 others injured in Nasiriyah.
According to the source, the casualties occurred during clashes between protesters and security forces on al-Nasr and al-Zeytun bridges.
Iraq has been rocked by mass protests since early October against poor living conditions and corruption. Protesters’ demands later spiraled into calls for dissolving the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
According to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, at least 348 Iraqis have been killed and 15,000 injured since the protests began on Oct. 1.
