The Common Ills: The death toll increases in Iraq

Sunday, October 06, 2019

The death toll increases in Iraq

In Iraq, protests continue. And the violence aimed at the protesters continues. Bobby Allyn (NPR) counts 104 dead and 6,107 injured while noting:

Demanding better basic public services like electricity and water and renouncing corruption, a small group of protesters assembled seemingly spontaneously last week before being dispersed by security forces.

Then the protesters put out a call to re-converge on social media and the response took observers and government officials aback: Thousands of mostly young adults in their 20s, outraged over inadequate services and poor job prospects in the oil-rich country, came out to push for more opportunity and an end to corruption.
The Iraqi army and police have responded by firing live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds. As protests spread to other parts of the country, the bloody clashes continued.

John Davison and Ahmed Rasheed (REUTERS) add:

The unrest is the biggest security and political challenge for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government since it took power a year ago. The clashes have revived fears of a new spiral of violence that could suck in influential militia groups and be exploited by Islamic State.
Before the latest clashes in the Sadr City residential district of the capital, an Interior Ministry spokesman said 104 people had been killed, including eight members of the security forces, in the unrest since Tuesday.

Joyce Karam‏Verified account @Joyce_Karam 3 hours ago

#Iraq Protestors literally trapped in a war zone. Their uprising met with RPG, live ammunition and gunfire. This is the country where US spent ~ 1.9 trillion $ to “liberate” its people. Baghdad, Day 6, 99 dead so far:

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Where is the global concern, where is the global outrage? In an attempt to get CNN to provide coverage on air (they have filed reports online). Iraqi-Americans protested outside CNN's NYC offices today.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "First Family Material?" went up earlier today. The following sites updated: