BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (NNN-NINA) – At least two demonstrators were killed and some 40 others wounded Friday, in a clash with riot police in Baghdad, as demonstrations continued in Iraq, over lack of jobs and public services, a security official said.
The clash erupted in the morning, when dozens of protesters tried to cross a security wall in Rasheed Street, in downtown Baghdad, which houses the Central Bank of Iraq and the main headquarters of government-owned banks of al-Rafidain and al-Rasheed, an Interior Ministry official said.
Security forces used smoke and tear gas canisters and fired bullets in the air, to disperse the demonstrators, who were trying to reach the al-Shuhadaa Bridge, through al-Rasheed Street, which is closed by security forces with concrete blocks, the official added.
The clash resulted in the killing of two protesters, while 40 others were wounded or suffocated by the smoke and tear gas, the official said, adding that, several security members were also wounded.
Sporadic clashes continued during the day as more demonstrators arrived to take part in the clashes.
Meanwhile, Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who heads the Shiite religious leadership in Iraq, called on political parties to speed up the reform measures as the only way to end the anti-government protests.
Mass demonstrations continued in the capital, Baghdad and other cities in central and southern Iraq, since early Oct, demanding comprehensive reform, accountability for corruption, improvement of public services and job opportunities.– NNN-NINA