BAGHDAD, Oct 30 (NNN-NINA) – The anti-government demonstrations continued Tuesday, in Baghdad and others provinces, with contradictory reports about casualties among protesters in the city of Karbala.
“The information we received from activists, organisations and non-governmental organisations about Karbala unrest said that, 18 people were killed and more than 800 wounded, while Karbala Health Department said, only one killed in criminal incident, away from protest site,” said a statement by Ali al-Bayati, member of the Iraqi Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR).
A report from Karbala Health Department, said that, there were 112 people injured during the protest around midnight, and confirmed that there were no deaths among the protesters.
The health department of the city also confirmed that reports about many people killed were “untrue.”
Karbala provincial police said, the information about casualties published by the media are “incorrect and aim to fuel Karbala streets.”
The unrest that occurred in Karbala, some 110 km south of Baghdad, started around midnight, when security forces tried to dismantle the sit-in protest in the city, using tear gas canisters, batons, water cannons and bullets in the air, according to local media reports.
In Baghdad thousands of demonstrators defied the after midnight curfew, imposed earlier and continued their protest amid intensified security measures, but no reports of clashes or casualties reported.
On Monday, Baghdad Operations Command (BOC), responsible for security of Baghdad province, declared a curfew on people and movement of vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles from midnight until 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), until further notice.– NNN-NINA