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SADR CITY, Baghdad – After days of deadly protest, security forces teemed in Baghdad on October 6. Humvees and other military vehicles rolled into the city as clashes continued in east Baghdad’s Sadr City.
Protesters had set their sights on Tahrir Square, a focal point for protests throughout Iraqi history some 5-8 kilometers away.
Security forces shot into the air relentlessly to deter protest assembly in the square. Demonstrators claimed snipers were positioned in nearby buildings to shoot to deliberately kill protesters.
Weary protesters no longer trust the promises of reform that have come from Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.
Government figures say 104 people were killed and over 6,000 injured from October 1-6.
Protesters expressed doubt about the figures, believing they understate the extent of violence wreaked.
They display footage they couldn’t share online due to the internet blockade.
“You either show the martyrs, or leave us now. You either show the martyrs now, or you leave us, okay?” a protester can be heard demanding.
Pursuing revenge for the killing of their relatives, protesters burned security force vehicles. For some, the possibility of taking up arms became ever more real.
“If the situation continues like this, killing innocent youth, then we will resort to arms, for it to turn into street fighting.”
At least eight people are believed to have been killed and 25 injured in Sadr City on October 6. Protesters reassembled in the impoverished neighborhood late on Monday night, according to Reuters.
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
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