- Title: Gunfights rage in southern Iraq, protests spread nationwide
- Date: 2nd October 2019
- Summary: NASSIRIYA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING ON STREET/ SOUND OF GUNSHOTS BUILDING ON FIRE/PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING NAJAF, IRAQ (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING/RIOT POLICE BLOCKING PROTESTERS, MILITARY FORCES STANDING BY PROTESTERS CHANTING AND HOLDING HANDS TOGETHER IN THE AIR/ POLICE STANDING IN FRONT OF PROTESTS PROTESTERS GATHERED IN SQUARE VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING RIOT POLICE LINED UP BEHIND BARBED WIRE PROTESTERS AND POLICE IN SQUARE PROTESTERS RUNNING WITH INJURED PROTESTER VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS RUNNING/ SOUND OF GUNSHOTS ELDERLY PROTESTER WITH ONE LEG WALKS GESTURING WITH HIS HAND/ SOUND OF GUNSHOTS/ TEAR GAS CANISTERS BEING RELEASED RIOT POLICE FIRING GUN/ ROCKS BEING THROWN AT RIOT POLICE OFFICER VARIOUS OF SWAT POLICE VEHICLES DRIVING ON ROAD POLICE AND SPECIAL FORCES VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING VARIOUS OF BUILDINGS ON FIRE (NIGHT SHOT) BASRA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING PROTESTERS WALKING ON BRIDGE PROTESTERS MARCHING PROTESTERS MOVING BARBED WIRE NEAR POLICE (NIGHT SHOT) VARIOUS OF POLICE TRYING TO PUSH BACK PROTESTERS (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTER ON GROUND AFTER FAINTING/ OFFICERS FANNING YOUNG MAN (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTERS CHANTING/ WAVING IRAQI FLAG (NIGHT SHOT)
- Embargoed: 16th October 2019 21:50
- Keywords: tear gas southern Iraq rally police shooting protesters Nassiriya demonstrators security forces Iraq protests
- Location: NASSIRIYA, NAJAF AND BASRA, IRAQ
- City: NASSIRIYA, NAJAF AND BASRA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZEP553
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraq deployed counter-terrorism troops in the southern city of Nassiriya on Wednesday (October 2) after police "lost control" when gunfights broke out between protesters and security forces, police sources said.
Curfews were later imposed in Nassiriya and two other southern cities, Amara and Hilla, the police sources told Reuters, as nationwide protests that began on Tuesday (October 1) over unemployment, corruption and poor public services, escalated and left five people dead and more than 200 injured.
Protesters burned down government buildings in Nassiriya, Amara and the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf. In Kut, protesters tried to break into the municipality building. Hundreds were out on the streets of Hilla and Diwaniya.
Thousands gathered in the oil-rich city of Basra but the protests were peaceful. There were also peaceful protests in Samawa.
Small protests also took place in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Tikrit, as well as the eastern province of Diyala.
In Baghdad, police and the army opened fire and launched tear gas canisters to disperse hundreds of protesters on the streets of the captial and near the Baghdad airport.
(Production: Fadel Abdelhassan, Ahmed Saeed, Maher Nazeh, Mostafa Salem) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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