BAGHDAD, Oct 5 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, urged protesters to calm down, after three days of violent protests over government corruption, unemployment, and lack of basic services.
In his televised speech, Abdul Mahdi said, “The escalation in the demonstration is leading to loss of life, and we regret that some have succeeded in taking the protests off their peaceful path.”
“Your demands for reforms and the fight against corruption have reached us,” Abdul Mahdi said. “We will respond to every legitimate request.”
He vowed that his government would not make “empty promises.”
The prime minister also promised stipends to needy families and urged protesters to abide by the law, as protests escalate in the capital and southern cities.
“We have to return life to normal in all provinces and respect the law,” he said, adding that, the security authorities have made a difficult choice, including a temporary curfew.
The demonstration turned violent in Baghdad, as clashes erupted with the police.
The protests also spread to other Iraqi provinces, when hundreds of protesters attacked and burned several provincial government buildings and offices of leading political parties.
The Iraqi Defence Minister, Najah al-Shammari, said that, he decided to raise the state of alert for the Iraqi armed forces “to preserve state sovereignty and protect all foreign embassies and diplomatic missions operating in Iraq.”– NNN-NINA