Nine people killed in "Iraqi Rage" protests (Roundup)

Feb 25, 2011, 16:10 GMT

Baghdad - At least nine people were killed in northern Iraq on Friday during clashes with security forces, as thousands of protesters took to the streets across the country even though religious and political officials had asked them not to.

Five protesters were killed and dozens injured in the city of Mosul when security forces fired at people. Witnesses said some protesters were trying to break into a local government building.

A police official said that four people had also died in clashes between protesters and security forces in the town of Haweija, located in the district of Kirkuk.

Some 2,000 protesters had gathered in Haweija on Friday morning and set fire to the provincial council building. The military took over after police were pushed back, one protester said.

The demonstrators were demanding economic reforms, better social services, more employment opportunities and an end to corruption in what was dubbed a 'Revolution of Iraqi Rage.'

Religious and political officials had earlier warned against the protests, alleging that they were masterminded by the al-Qaeda terrorist network and people loyal to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

In the capital Baghdad, police used tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse protesters from Tahrir Square, injuring several demonstrators, a witness told the German Press Agency dpa.

The broadcaster Al Jazeera showed images of the protesters pushing down towering cement blocks in an attempt to expand the demonstration into the Green Zone, a sensitive part of the capital where politicians and foreigners reside.

West of Baghdad, at least seven protesters were injured in the city of Fallujah when security fired at them. One soldier was also injured. Protesters set fire to the local government building.

In the southern city of Basra, up to 4,000 protesters also set up camp near a local government building early Friday, calling for the dismissal of the governor and accusing him of corruption.

Within hours, Governor Sheltag Abboud announced his resignation following demands by protesters, according to AlSumaria news.

In the southern city of Karbala, meanwhile, some 200 people were arrested on Friday during protests calling for more employment opportunities and better public services, witnesses told dpa.

Journalists and photographers were reportedly among those detained, after security forces confiscated their cameras.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government has come under criticism for using force against demonstrators and banning live media coverage of the protests.

The United States-based Human Rights Watch said that Iraqi police allowed assailants to beat and stab protesters earlier this week in Baghdad's Tahrir Square.

The rights group said they also observed Iraqi security forces intimidating protesters and preventing Iraqi journalists from filming or taking photos of the protests.

The France-based Reporters Without Borders also condemned Iraqi authorities for banning live satellite television coverage of the demonstration in Tahrir Square.

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