Iraqi protesters target government offices as unrest rages

11.03 pm

2 protesters killed in Samawa 

Two protesters died in clashes with Iraqi security forces in the town of Samawa, a police official said on Sunday.

“Hundreds of people tried to storm a courthouse. Shots were fired toward us. It was not clear who was shooting. We had no choice but to open fire,” a police official in Samawa told Reuters.

---

10.43 pm

8 civilians, 13 security forces injured in Maysan

Eight civilians and 13 members of the Iraqi security forces in Maysan provice have been injured in protests that have now spread across southern Iraq, according to a member of Maysan provincial council.

Adnan al-Ghanami told Rudaw the people of Maysan continued their protests on Sunday near the provincial council building – but were fended off by security forces.

“In the Majar town of Maysan protesters attacked the mayoral building, leading to clashes between protestors and security forces,” Ghanami said.

“There have been no killing cases due to the protests, except for the killing of a person who was killed within the protests due to a social issue, not due to protests,” he added.

Ghanami said the government’s unwillingness to meet the demands of the people caused the city to explode.

---

8.23 pm

Oil facilities secure amid Iraq’s mass protests: ministry 

An Iraqi government spokesman said the country’s oil supply is safe and pumping crude at normal levels despite mass protests, which began in Iraq’s southern port city of Basra last week and have spread to other provinces.

“Production and exports from southern Iraq are stable as per normal levels,” said Asim Jihad, spokesperson for Iraq’s Oil Ministry, as reported by Bloomberg on Sunday.

Jihad added that additional security has been deployed to protect oil fields and energy facilities in the region.

Baghdad has formed a ministerial committee headed by Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi to formulate plans to address the protesters’ concerns, according to a government statement on Saturday.

Iraq is the second largest crude oil producer within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Saudi Arabia with an average output of 4.55 million barrels per day (bpd) according to the International Energy Agency.



Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP

Abadi meets security chiefs 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned security and intelligence chiefs during meetings in Baghdad on Sunday to be on alert “because terrorists want to exploit any event or dispute”.

“Iraqis do not accept chaos, assaults on the security forces, state and private property, and those who do this are vandals who exploit the demands of citizens to cause harm,” he said, according to AFP.

He ordered security services not to use live ammunition against unarmed protesters.

Protesters are held back by police barricades in Basra. Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP

‘This is not a protest. It’s a revolution.’

Protesters are demanding “regime change” in Iraq. 

“The demands are clear. The reason why people came to close down the airport is to show the regime something: people no longer want this regime, nor do they want the parties or elections,” said Ali, a protester in Najaf. 

“This is not a protest. This is a revolution. This is a revolution by the people of Najaf. The people of Iraq have suffered enough. These protests have no connection with any political party, nor does any person control them. These are the people of Najaf, the youth and men of the tribes,” he added.

The protests began in the southernmost province Basra last weekend. 

The government – which is essentially in caretaker mode as allegations of vote rigging have delayed finalization of the May 12 parliamentary election – has pledged 10,000 jobs and $3 billion for Basra’s services in a bid to quell the unrest. 

Protesters on Sunday have continued their demonstration, demanding promises be fulfilled quickly. 

Some protesters in Basra told Rudaw’s Mustafa Goran in the city that they are being pursued “like criminals” by security forces, blaming special forces deployed from Baghdad by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. 

People in Najaf and Qhi Dar have also taken to the streets in recent days. In Baghdad, security forces are on high alert.

“We have been oppressed. There is no electricity, no water, and no services,” said Mohammed Ahmad, a protester in Baghdad.

Iraq’s Interior Minister Qasim al-Araji walked through Baghdad’s Tahrir Square in the company of a large number of security forces on Saturday evening. 

“Our duty is to provide security for all Iraqis, listen to their demands and respect all protesters who convey their demands in a peaceful and civilized manner that reflects the dignity of Iraqis and their country. But those who attack government institutions, security forces and the country’s investment projects, are against the wishes of the people and will be dealt with according to the law,” he said to reporters in the square.

---

1:23 pm

Flydubai is third airline to halt flights to Najaf

Flydubai has suspended its flights to Najaf for a week “due to the disruption on the ground,” Reuters reported. 

The suspension is effective through July 22, the state-owned airline said. 

This is third airline to halt operations to the holy city of Najaf – Kuwait Airlines and Royal Jordanian have made similar decisions. 

---

1:10 pm

Four protesters, four security forces injured in Nasiriyah 

Al-Nasiriyah Hospital has “received eight injured persons on Sunday morning who were wounded during clashes between protesters and riot police,” a source from the hospital told Rudaw. 

Four of the injured are protesters and four are members of the security forces, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

Nasiriyah is the capital of Dhi Qar province. Protesters surrounded the provincial council building Sunday morning. 

Activists in Nasiriyah claim that protesters have set fire to offices of some political parties – including Ammar al-Hakim’s Hikma party and the Badr Movement. 

---

12:54 pm

Royal Jordanian halts Najaf flights

Royal Jordanian has suspended flights to Najaf because of the “security situation” at the airport in the holy Iraqi city. 

Operations at the airport were temporarily halted on Friday when protesters took over the terminal. 

Kuwait Airways have also halted all flights to the city due to the ongoing unrest in the city and southern Iraq. 

Iranian media reported Mashad airport has also suspended flights to Najaf, which is a popular destination for Shiite pilgrims. 

---

12:07 pm

Najaf police chief sacked

Iraq’s Interior Ministry has sacked the chief of police in Najaf, Majid al-Kadhim. 

Miqdad al-Musawi, spokesperson for Najaf police confirmed the news to Rudaw. 

Protesters in Najaf temporarily shut down the airport in the holy city on Friday.

In Basra, a second protester has been reported killed, according to Rudaw's correspondent on the ground Mustafa Goran. 

---

11:58 am

One protester reported killed in Basra

One protester has been reported killed in Basra, according to Rudaw’s correspondent in Basra, Mustafa Goran. 

Chanting slogans like ‘No to corruption! Yes to reform!’ demonstrators are demanding government promises of jobs and improved services be fulfilled quickly. They are continuing their protest in front of the provincial council offices in Basra where police have tried to break up the crowd. 

The government has pledged 10,000 new jobs and promised an injection of $3 billion into the province’s underfunded services.

---

11:20 am

Police use water cannons, tear gas in Basra

Protesters in Dhi Qar province have surrounded the provincial council building in the capital Nasiriyah, according to a security source. 

A protester told Rudaw that about 20 people have been injured in clashes between police and demonstrators. 

In Basra, police fired into the air when protesters tried to storm the provincial government building.

“Some of the protesters tried to storm the building. We prevented them by using water cannons and tear gas,” a police source told Reuters. 

Four people were wounded.

---

11:08 am

Internet is still down in south and central Iraq Sunday morning. 

Members of the Iraqi diaspora on social media say they are having problems contacting family members in the country. 

Iraqi officials told the KRG that two internet cables between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq were targeted by terrorists in Daquq and Tuz Khurmatu, Omed Mohammed Salih, spokesperson for KRG's ministry of transport and communications, told Rudaw.

"No internet line has been cut under our orders, but some lines have problems, therefore they have stopped working,” he said. 

Baghdad shut down Facebook on Saturday afternoon. 

---

10:20 am

Protesters in Basra have blocked the route to the provincial council offices as demonstrations enter a second week despite a government pledge of 10,000 new jobs and an promised injection of $3 billion into the province’s underfunded services.