{"id":6148,"date":"2019-10-03T20:01:22","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T20:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5917.temp.domains\/~iriacom\/\/news\/?p=6148"},"modified":"2019-10-04T08:02:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T08:02:06","slug":"death-toll-rises-to-30-as-iraq-protests-turn-violent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/death-toll-rises-to-30-as-iraq-protests-turn-violent\/","title":{"rendered":"Death toll rises to 30 as Iraq protests turn violent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 30 killed, hundreds wounded in Iraq as police fire tear gas, bullets at protesters. Iraq government imposes curfews, cuts internet<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly 30\u00a0people have been killed and more than 600 wounded as thousands of demonstrators defied curfew by government and firing by Iraqi security forces on the third day of the anti-government protests.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations that erupted in the capital Baghdad spread to several provinces across Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday over unemployment, education and healthcare, government corruption and the lack of basic services such as water and power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bullets do not scare us. They do not scare Iraqis. This will all come down over their heads,\u201d said one protester in the capital where 4,000 protesters gathered in Baghdad\u2019s Tayaran Square and attempted to march onto the central Tahrir Square. However, they were met with open fire and heavy tear gas. Police used live ammunition in some areas leaving the protesters dead. Meanwhile, police also said protesters had fired at them in the town of Rifae near the southern city of Nassiriya where seven people were killed overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people are being robbed. The people are now begging on the street. There is no work, you come to protest, they fire at you. Live gunfire,\u201d said a man covering his face in a scarf.<\/p>\n

Iraq government has cut off the internet for 70% of the country and blocked multiple social media sites in an attempt to prevent anti-corruption protests spreading further across the country.<\/p>\n

Iraq has the world\u2019s fourth-largest reserves of oil, according to the International Monetary Fund, but much of its population of 40 million lives in poverty and without decent healthcare, education or power and water supply. Country’s infrastructure has been\u00a0wrecked by decades of sectarian civil war, foreign occupation, two U.S. invasions, U.N. sanctions and war against its neighbors.<\/p>\n

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Death toll rises to 30 as #IraqProtests<\/a> turn violent. Hundreds wounded as police fire tear gas, bullets at protesters. Iraq government imposes curfews, cuts internet
\nDetails: More: https:\/\/t.co\/8alpWXeOTv<\/a>
\n: @reuterspictures<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QvdG9kOriv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 IRIA (@IRIA_Research) October 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n