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Iraqi demonstrators gather as flames start consuming Iran's consulate in the southern Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf, November 27, 2019. Photo: Haidar Hamdani / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Protesters in Iraq’s Najaf set fire to part of the Iranian consulate building on Wednesday evening before being dispersed by security forces. City authorities responded to the new upsurge in violence by imposed a curfew “until further notice”.
Videos have emerged on messaging app Telegram showing protesters setting fire to the consulate’s entry gate.
Following weeks of unrest across central and southern Iraq, Najaf’s authorities responded to Wednesday night’s violence by imposing a curfew.
This is not the first time Iraqi protesters have attacked an Iranian consulate. On November 4, demonstrators set fire to Tehran’s mission in Karbala.
Protesters are angry at Iran’s perceived influence over Iraqi internal affairs and its proxy militias. Anti-Iran banners have been a regular fixture in the countrywide protests.
Protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square have burned the Iranian flag, while in Babil protesters painted the Iranian flag on the ground before stomping on it.
In Diwaniya province, protesters tore up images of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic.
Iran’s foreign ministry is yet to comment on Wednesday’s attack in Najaf, but has previously sought to characterize Iraq’s protests as the work of the US and Tehran’s regional rivals.
Millions of Iranian pilgrims visit the Shiite shrines of Najaf and Karbala every year.
Protests demanding jobs, basic services, and action against corruption began in Baghdad on October 1 before spreading nationwide.
The unrest died down during the Shiite religious observance of Arbaeen before resuming on October 25 – this time with calls to sweep away the old political parties that have held power in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003.
At least 320 protesters and security force personnel have died and 15,000 wounded since the protests began, according to Iraq’s parliamentary human rights committee.
Daily reports from the independent Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights put the number of dead at 340.
Videos have emerged on messaging app Telegram showing protesters setting fire to the consulate’s entry gate.
Following weeks of unrest across central and southern Iraq, Najaf’s authorities responded to Wednesday night’s violence by imposing a curfew.
This is not the first time Iraqi protesters have attacked an Iranian consulate. On November 4, demonstrators set fire to Tehran’s mission in Karbala.
Protesters are angry at Iran’s perceived influence over Iraqi internal affairs and its proxy militias. Anti-Iran banners have been a regular fixture in the countrywide protests.
Protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square have burned the Iranian flag, while in Babil protesters painted the Iranian flag on the ground before stomping on it.
In Diwaniya province, protesters tore up images of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic.
Iran’s foreign ministry is yet to comment on Wednesday’s attack in Najaf, but has previously sought to characterize Iraq’s protests as the work of the US and Tehran’s regional rivals.
Millions of Iranian pilgrims visit the Shiite shrines of Najaf and Karbala every year.
Protests demanding jobs, basic services, and action against corruption began in Baghdad on October 1 before spreading nationwide.
The unrest died down during the Shiite religious observance of Arbaeen before resuming on October 25 – this time with calls to sweep away the old political parties that have held power in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003.
At least 320 protesters and security force personnel have died and 15,000 wounded since the protests began, according to Iraq’s parliamentary human rights committee.
Daily reports from the independent Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights put the number of dead at 340.
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