Iraq Puts Security Forces on High Alert Over Protests
BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraq placed its security forces on high alert on Saturday, in response to the protests in the country’s southern provinces over poor services.
The nationwide order was issued overnight by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who also serves as the country’s commander in chief of the armed forces, in a directive.
Reinforcement troops from both the Counter Terrorism Service and the Army’s Ninth Division have already been dispatched to Basra, where demonstrators gathered for the sixth consecutive day, to help protect the province’s oil fields, security sources said.
Other reports suggested that the situation returned to normal at the airport of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf after protesters decrying economic hardship withdrew from the facility.
State television said on Friday that flights had resumed at the airport.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Iraqis stormed the facility and halted air traffic, Reuters said.
The protests came after days-long demonstrations in the southern oil hub of Basra against unemployment and poor quality of public services. Al-Abadi visited Basra and met with military and security officials.
So far, two people have been killed during scuffles between the demonstrators and security forces, one during the Basra protests, and another in the southeastern province of Maysan.
Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq’s top Shia cleric, issued a statement, expressing his solidarity with the protesters. He added that he was concerned about people’s difficult living conditions.
The protests over basic services come at a sensitive time when Iraqi political factions are trying to form a coalition government after the May 12 parliamentary elections.
The country needs billions to recover from a three-year struggle against the terror group of Daesh.
The United States, which has been leading scores of its allies in a so-called anti-Daesh mission, has said it would not contribute money to the country’s reconstruction.
Demonstrators block a road and burn tires in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on July 12, 2018 during an ongoing protest against unemployment and high cost of living.
The nationwide order was issued overnight by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who also serves as the country’s commander in chief of the armed forces, in a directive.
Reinforcement troops from both the Counter Terrorism Service and the Army’s Ninth Division have already been dispatched to Basra, where demonstrators gathered for the sixth consecutive day, to help protect the province’s oil fields, security sources said.
Other reports suggested that the situation returned to normal at the airport of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf after protesters decrying economic hardship withdrew from the facility.
State television said on Friday that flights had resumed at the airport.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Iraqis stormed the facility and halted air traffic, Reuters said.
The protests came after days-long demonstrations in the southern oil hub of Basra against unemployment and poor quality of public services. Al-Abadi visited Basra and met with military and security officials.
So far, two people have been killed during scuffles between the demonstrators and security forces, one during the Basra protests, and another in the southeastern province of Maysan.
Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq’s top Shia cleric, issued a statement, expressing his solidarity with the protesters. He added that he was concerned about people’s difficult living conditions.
The protests over basic services come at a sensitive time when Iraqi political factions are trying to form a coalition government after the May 12 parliamentary elections.
The country needs billions to recover from a three-year struggle against the terror group of Daesh.
The United States, which has been leading scores of its allies in a so-called anti-Daesh mission, has said it would not contribute money to the country’s reconstruction.
Demonstrators block a road and burn tires in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on July 12, 2018 during an ongoing protest against unemployment and high cost of living.