The Common Ills: 2 protesters shot dead in Mosul by Nouri's forces

It is Friday. Since December, protests have been taking place in Iraq. Iraqis continue to march and rally in March. Iraq's been falling apart and the people are tired of it. Who can blame them? There are few jobs available to them (Nouri's cronies and sons make out well, though). The public services are awful, all these years later (Nouri will have been prime minister for seven years in May). Electricity is still not dependable, potable water is still something longed for. The rainy seasons saw flooding in Baghdad and elsewhere -- homes collapsed in some place, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society had to set up tents for some villages. And yet Iraq has billions. Where does the money go? That's before you add in the prison situation and Nouri's inability to share power. Iraq's been falling apart since the US-brokered the deal (The Erbil Agreement) that gave him a second term after Iraqi voters said "NO!"

But you ran out of gas
Down the road a piece
Then the battery went dead
And now the cable won't reach...

It's your last chance
To check under the hood
Last chance
She ain't soundin' too good,
Your last chance
To trust the man with the star
You've found the last chance Texaco

-- "Last Chance Texaco," written by Rickie Lee Jones, first appears on her self-titled debut

Today's demonstrations are dubbed "last chance." Alsumaria reports "tens of thousands" demonstrated today in Falluja after morning prayers and that speakers spoke out against many issues including the imprisonment of the innocents and the assaults and rapes taking place in Iraqi prisons and detention centers.

Thug and prime minister Nouri al-Malliki must feel very proud of himself. Kitabat reports his forces scored 2 more kills. The two protesters killed were in Mosul with four more left injured. He's still not answered for the January 25th massacre and Nouri most likely will try to escape blame for this one as well. Let's drop back to Wednesday's snapshot:

NINA also notes that Nineveh Province Governor Atheel Nujaifi has "warned the security forces in Nineveh, specifically the Federal Police, which oversees the protection of Ahrar Square not to encroach upon the demonstrators." He is calling out the continued targeting of protesters by Nouri's national force and the warrantless arrests of them.
That is only the most recent example of al-Nujaifi calling on Nouri's forces to stop harassing and harming the Mosul protesters. Iraqi Spring MC notes that the people of Adahmiya faced teams of Nouri's forces who attempted to prevent them from protesting or even having Friday morning prayers. Kitabat adds that Nouri's forces have turned the city into a "huge prison" and that two mosques had to cancel the morning prayers as a result of the military siege the city is under. Kitabat also notes that Friday prayers at Baghdad's Abu Hanifa mosque were also cancelled as a result of the military being sent to encircle the area.

Dar Addustour reports that the city of Samarra announced a general strike yesterday in support of the protesters. They also note the rumor that Saleh al-Mutlaq will announce his resigantion from Nouri's Cabinet today.

Protesters turned out in Baquba. Screen snap below is from this Iraqi Spring MC video.

Friday, March 08, 2013

2 protesters shot dead in Mosul by Nouri's forces