Iraqi protesters defy curfew as violence leaves 31 dead
Baghdad: Anti-government demonstrators defied an around-the-clock curfew in Baghdad and other cities Thursday as Iraqi security forces used live ammunition and tear gas during a third day of unrest that has left 31 people dead, most of them protesters.
Authorities cut internet access in much of Iraq since late Wednesday in a desperate move to curb the rallies. By Thursday afternoon, the curfew was extended to three other southern provinces.
The spontaneous rallies have been spurred mostly by youths wanting jobs, improved services such as electricity and water, and an end to endemic corruption in the oil-rich country. Most of the demonstrators were peaceful; many had their faces covered with masks or Iraqi flags.
The streets of Baghdad were littered with tear gas canisters and empty bullet casings. Smoke from burned tires rose above the streets as protesters tried to prevent security forces from advancing. The forces spread barbed wires and armoured vehicles to block their path.
Even with a curfew, we are not turning back, shouted protester Abu Qassim.
The unrest is the most serious challenge for Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's year-old government, which also has been caught in the middle of increasing US-Iran tensions in the region.
Iraq is allied with both countries and hosts thousands of US troops, as well as powerful paramilitary forces allied with Iran.
Middle East expert Jennifer Cafarella, with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said the immediate and widespread use of force against protesters in multiple provinces demonstrates that the security forces are overwhelmed by the volume and rate of spread of the rallies.
There were indications that the regional tension is at play. Some Baghdad demonstrators blamed Iranian-backed groups within the security forces for the violence.
Media affiliated with the Iranian-backed groups have pointed fingers at the United States and Saudi Arabia for the unrest. Cafarella said that indicates the potential for escalation between protesters and these forces.
One protester in Baghdad held up an empty casing to journalists, screaming: Look! These are Iranian bullets!
In the last three days, at least 20 protesters and one policeman were killed in four provinces. On Thursday, the first death was reported in Baghdad where one protester was killed as the demonstrators pushed their way toward Tahrir Square in the city centre.
The square has been off-limits since Wednesday night just before the curfew.
Soon after, protesters overpowered a soldier in his armoured vehicle, setting it on fire and warning other security forces to stay away from the square. The protesters then marched toward the square. There were also fires set to parts of government buildings in the southern provinces of Najaf and Dhiqar.
At least three protesters were shot and killed Thursday in Zaafaraniya, a southern Baghdad neighborhood, according to police and a medial official.
Explosions were heard before dawn inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to government offices and foreign embassies. The US-led coalition said an investigation was underway into the attack, adding that no coalition forces or assets were hit.
An Iraqi security official said two mortar shells hit the Green Zone, falling on an open space and not causing any injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
In the latest deaths, at least six protesters were shot and killed Thursday in the city of Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of Baghdad, a medical official told The Associated Press. Nasiriyah has seen the most violence since the protests began Tuesday.
The mostly leaderless protests have been concentrated in Baghdad and in predominantly Shiite areas of southern Iraq, bringing out jobless youths and university graduates who are suffering under an economy reeling from graft and mismanagement.
I came here to seize back my rights, said Ahmed Abdul-Sattar, a protester in his early 20s. I can't get a government job or find any other job. It is a corrupt government and we came here to take our rights.
Two demonstrators were killed Tuesday and at least 17 deaths were reported Wednesday, including a policeman, in rallies in Nasiriyah, Kut, and Amara, according to security officials.
The coalition urged all sides to reduce tensions and reject violence.
Iraq's state news agency said Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi invited representatives of the protesters to parliament to discuss their demands. Iraqi state TV broadcast numbers for the office of the prime minister in an outreach to the seemingly leaderless protests.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry summoned Iran Ambassador Iraj Masjedi to denounce his threat that Tehran would retaliate to a US attack anywhere in the world, including in Iraq.
A ministry statement said Iraqi official Abdul-Karim Hashem told him that American troops are in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government and that Iraq will not accept becoming an arena for international conflicts.
Iran urged its citizens to postpone pilgrimages to Shiite holy sites in Iraq amid the turmoil. Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed hope the Iraqi government, political parties and groups would help calm the disturbances that it said were being exploited by foreign elements.
Baghdad's main streets were largely deserted Thursday morning, except for Iraqi army vehicles. Some side roads were blocked with barbed wire.
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‘Self-styled Vishwaguru stands exposed’: Cong's dig at PM over Pak role in US-Iran ceasefire
New Delhi (PTI): Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Wednesday said the role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire between the US and Iran is a “severe setback” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “highly personalised diplomacy” and “the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed”.
The opposition party also said Prime Minister Modi's “cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the entire world will cautiously welcome the two-week ceasefire in the West Asia conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“The conflict had begun on February 28th with the targeted assassinations of the topmost echelons of the regime in Iran. These had started just two days after Prime Minister Modi had completed his much-trumpeted visit to Israel, a visit that diminished India’s global stature and standing,” Ramesh claimed.
PM Modi had said nothing about Israel’s "genocide" in Gaza and its aggressively expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, Ramesh said.
“The role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire is a severe setback to both the substance and style of Mr Modi’s highly personalised diplomacy,” he said.
The policy to isolate Pakistan for its continuing support to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and to convince the world that it is a failed state has clearly not succeeded – unlike what Manmohan Singh had accomplished after the Mumbai terror attacks, Ramesh claimed.
That a bankrupt economy dependent entirely on the largesse of external donors and a broken country in so many ways was able to play such a role calls into question Modi’s strategy of engagement and narrative management, he said.
“He (Modi) or his team has also never explained why Op Sindoor was suddenly and abruptly halted on May 10th 2025 - the first announcement of which came from the US Secretary of State and for which the US President has claimed credit almost a hundred times since then,” the Congress leader said.
“There is a palpable sigh of relief everywhere. The External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) dismissed Pakistan as a dalal. But now the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed, his self-declared 56-inch chest shrunk and shrivelled,” Ramesh said.
“His cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House,” the Congress leader added.
US President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, as the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump swerved to de-escalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy the Iranian civilisation.
Trump made the dramatic announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday evening (US time) even as Democrats called for his removal over unhinged threats to wipe out the Iranian civilisation.
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the US President said in a social media post.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.
Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday.
