Baghdad: Widespread unrest is engulfing southern Iraq as Iraqis frustrated by shortages of electricity, water and jobs vent their anger, setting fire to political offices, attacking government infrastructure and deepening uncertainty about the country’s shaky political future.
The government on Saturday cut off Internet access across much of Iraq and ordered security forces on high alert after demonstrations that erupted six days ago in the southern port city of Basra spread overnight to many other parts of the overwhelmingly Shiite south, where a heat wave has aggravated poor living conditions,
Some of the worst violence took place in the city of Najaf, a destination for Shiite pilgrims from around the world. Protesters stormed the airport and marched on the headquarters of the main Shiite political parties, including the local headquarters of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s Dawa Party, which was set on fire.
Thousands of people also attacked government infrastructure and the offices of Shiite parties in the cities of Nasseriyah, Kut, Karbala, Babil and Amara. In Basra, they marched on the hotel where Abadi had stayed during a brief visit aimed at calming the situation. There was one small protest reported in Baghdad early Saturday, with demonstrators setting fire to tyres and briefly closing access to the main highway leading to Jordan.
Read the article in The Sydney Morning Herald (from The Washington Post).