Three people died while scores injured after Iraqi police forces fired upon hundreds of protesters infront of the Iranian consulate office in the holy city of Karbala.
Reports from several sources reveal that security forces opened fire when several protestors tried to climb the consulate walls. Other accounts identified several unknown gunmen as the ones who fired live rounds at the crowd.
Iraqis have been protesting against alleged Iranian intervention on their government’s affairs. For weeks, many Iraqis have demanded the resignation of several government officials whom they accused of corruption.
In Baghdad, government security forces reportedly discharged live rounds against hundreds of protesters on Monday. Demonstrations against the Iraqi government continued despite appeals from its prime Minister who resigned a few days ago.
Adel Abdul Mahdi appealed for sobriety and asked people to re-open roads and restore normalcy. Mahdi says government respects the protestors but blocking of roads around the capital and key Ports in the south had impacted on the economy of the country.
President Barham Saleh says Mahdi is willing to resign once his replacement is chosen, and a new election law is drafted. This, however, did nothing to placate the anger of the people who are protesting against widespread corruption, high rising of unemployment and dismal poor public services.
