Iraqi security forces sought to clamp down on protests in Baghdad and across the south on Saturday, a day after dozens died in a bloody resumption of anti-government rallies.

Iraqi security forces sought to clamp down on protests in Baghdad and across the south on Saturday, a day after dozens died in a bloody resumption of anti-government rallies. A parliamentary session scheduled for Saturday afternoon to discuss the renewed protests was cancelled after it failed to reach a quorum. Since anti-government rallies first erupted on October 1, nearly 200 people have died and thousands were wounded in Baghdad and across the country's Shiite-majority south in violence condemned worldwide. Almost a quarter of them, 42, succumbed on Friday alone from live rounds, tear gas canisters or while torching government buildings or offices belonging to powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary factions in several southern cities. Tensions remained high across several cities there on Saturday, with security forces cutting off roads and imposing strict curfews. The storming of provincial headquarters, parliamentarians' workspaces or Hashed offices marks a new phase in the southern rallies but there have been no such incidents so far in the capital. In Baghdad, a few hundred protesters dug in around the emblematic Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Saturday morning despite efforts by riot police to clear them with tear gas. "It's enough -- theft, looting, gangs, mafias, deep state, whatever. Get out! Let us see a (functioning) state," said one protester, referring to perceived cronyism and corruption in the country. "We don't want anything, just let us live," he added as puffs of smoke from tear gas rose behind him. Oil-rich Iraq is OPEC's second-highest producer -- but one in five people live below the poverty line and youth unemployment sits at 25 percent, according to the World Bank. The staggering rates of joblessness and allegations of corruption sparked the widespread protests on October 1 and the government has struggled to quell public anger by proposing reforms. 'They tricked us' Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi has suggested a laundry list of measures, including hiring drives, increased pensions and a cabinet reshuffle. New education and health ministers were approved by parliament in a session earlier this month, the only time it was able to reach a quorum since protests began. But protesters seemed unimpressed. "They told young people: 'go home, we'll give you pensions and come up with a solution'. They tricked us," said one of the rare woman protesters on Saturday, her young son at her side. About 60 percent of Iraq's 40-million-strong population is under the age of 25. Protesters have directed some of their anger at the country's top Shiite religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is deeply revered among most Iraqis. Others have been waiting for signal from influential populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has thrown his weight behind protests. On Friday, Sistani urged protesters and security forces to show "restraint", warning of "chaos" if violence resumed. "Sadr, Sistani -- this is a shame," a protester in Tahrir said on Saturday. "We were hit! It's enough," he said, waving a tear gas canister fired earlier by security forces. Riot police had been trying to keep protesters around Tahrir from reaching the high-security Green Zone across the river, which hosts government offices including parliament. Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi said he had visited Tahrir overnight, but many demonstrators have shunned the participation of mainstream politicians whom they see as trying to co-opt their movement.

Iraq forces clamp down on protests after bloodshed

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas to force <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-40-killed-as-fresh-protests-engulf-iraq-258212">protesters away from Baghdad</a>'s Green Zone Saturday ahead of a planned parliament session, AFP correspondents said, a day after 42 demonstrators were killed.

In the capital and across the south, protesters died Friday from live rounds, wounds sustained from tear gas canisters and in fires set to government and paramilitary offices.

On Saturday morning, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-protesters-march-towards-baghdads-green-zone-one-killed-258183">demonstrators</a> tried to reach Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, where parliament is scheduled to "discuss protesters' demands, cabinet's decisions and the implementation of reforms" later in the day, according to its agenda.

Security forces fired tear gas to force protesters away from Tahrir (Liberation) Square and the adjacent Al-Jumhuriya bridge, which leads to the Green Zone, home to government offices and foreign embassies.

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A first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/iraqs-wave-of-protests-its-roots-and-how-to-begin-fixing-it-258108">wave of protests</a> erupted on October 1, demanding an end to corruption and unemployment before escalating to calls for an overhaul of the political system.&nbsp;

More than 150 people were killed, according to a government probe, most of them protesters in Baghdad who died of gunshot wounds to the head or chest.&nbsp;

In response, authorities have pledged a laundry list of measures including hiring drives, increased pensions and a cabinet reshuffle.

New education and health ministers were approved by parliament earlier this month, the only time it was able to reach quorum since protests began.

But protesters seemed unimpressed and called for a resumption of nationwide demonstrations on October 25.&nbsp;

Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi said he had visited protesters overnight in Tahrir, but many demonstrators have shunned the participation of mainstream politicians whom they see as trying to co-opt their movement.&nbsp;

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas to force protesters away from Baghdad's Green Zone Saturday ahead of a planned parliament session, AFP correspondents said, a day after 42 demonstrators were killed.

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas to force protesters away from Baghdad's Green Zone Saturday ahead of a planned parliament session, AFP correspondents said, a day after 42 demonstrators were killed. In the capital and across the south, protesters died Friday from live rounds, wounds sustained from tear gas canisters and in fires set to government and paramilitary offices. On Saturday morning, demonstrators tried to reach Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, where parliament is scheduled to "discuss protesters' demands, cabinet's decisions and the implementation of reforms" later in the day, according to its agenda. Security forces fired tear gas to force protesters away from Tahrir (Liberation) Square and the adjacent Al-Jumhuriya bridge, which leads to the Green Zone, home to government offices and foreign embassies. × A first wave of protests erupted on October 1, demanding an end to corruption and unemployment before escalating to calls for an overhaul of the political system. More than 150 people were killed, according to a government probe, most of them protesters in Baghdad who died of gunshot wounds to the head or chest. In response, authorities have pledged a laundry list of measures including hiring drives, increased pensions and a cabinet reshuffle. New education and health ministers were approved by parliament earlier this month, the only time it was able to reach quorum since protests began. But protesters seemed unimpressed and called for a resumption of nationwide demonstrations on October 25. Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi said he had visited protesters overnight in Tahrir, but many demonstrators have shunned the participation of mainstream politicians whom they see as trying to co-opt their movement.

Iraq: Security forces fire tear gas as protests linger in Baghdad ahead of parliament session

Rockets were fired at Baghdad&#39;s Green Zone Saturday after Iraq&#39;s most violent protest in years saw seven people killed in clashes between police and demonstrators advancing on the fortified area.

The body coordinating security operations in Iraq said several Katyusha-type rockets were fired from within Baghdad at the Green Zone, which houses most of the country&#39;s key institutions.

&quot;Several Katyusha rockets fired from the Baladiyat and Palestine Street areas landed in the Green Zone,&quot; the Joint Operations Command said in a statement, without specifying who fired them.

Police and interior ministry officials confirmed to AFP that several rockets were fired at the area but could not specify what the presumed target was nor whether there were any victims.

&quot;Several rockets, maybe six or seven, struck the Green Zone. I can hear the siren is being sounded in the area,&quot; Maysoon Damaluji, a lawmaker who lives in the protected area, told AFP.

A diplomat who also lives in the Green Zone said he heard four blasts.

Several main roads were closed and extra security was deployed across Baghdad late Saturday.

The Green Zone is a vast area in central Baghdad that houses the prime minister&#39;s office, the presidency, parliament and several major embassies, including the huge US mission.

Although it could not be ascertained that both events were linked, it also shelters Iraq&#39;s electoral commission, whose replacement was a key demand of the thousands of protesters in the city earlier Saturday.

The rally, mostly attended by supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr, started peacefully but some protesters subsequently broke away and attempted to force their way past a police cordon to reach the Green Zone.

Deadly protest

Security forces posted on a bridge over the Tigris River used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets to repulse the protesters.&nbsp; 
 
The protest, the latest in a series across the country over the past few days, was focused on demands for electoral reform ahead of provincial polls slated for September.

&quot;There were seven dead as a result of the violence. Two of them are from the security forces and the other five are protesters,&quot; a police colonel told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said more than 200 were hurt in the chaos. Most were protesters suffering from tear gas inhalation, but at least 11 had more serious injuries caused by bullets and tear gas canisters.

Sadr supporters accusing Iraq&#39;s political class of corruption and nepotism broke into the so-called Green Zone twice in 2016, storming the prime minister&#39;s office and the parliament building.

Saturday&#39;s demonstrators received a de facto green light to escalate their protest in the shape of a statement from the Najaf-based Sadr.

&quot;If you want to approach the gates of the Green Zone to affirm your demands and make them heard to those on the other side of the fence... you can,&quot; he said.

Sadr, a mercurial Shiite who once led a rebellion against US occupation but has more recently spearheaded an anti-corruption protest movement, eventually called for restraint but warned Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi not to turn a deaf ear.

&quot;I urge him to deliver those reforms immediately, listen to the voice of the people and remove the corrupt,&quot; he said in a statement.

Abadi said the violence would be investigated and those responsible for it prosecuted.

Protesters want members of electoral commission to be replaced

&quot;Our action will get tougher, even if that involves physically taking over the commission,&quot; Abu Haidar, a protester wearing traditional Arab dress, told AFP before the rally turned violent.

The electoral commission issued a statement asking for protection from the premier&#39;s office and the international community.

The protesters want the members of the electoral commission to be replaced, on the grounds that they are all affiliated to political parties and that the body supervising nationwide ballots was, therefore, anything but independent.

They also want the electoral law to be amended to give wider representation to smaller parties in the country&#39;s elected bodies.

Sinan al-Azzawi, a popular Iraqi actor, was among those who addressed the protest before the violence broke out.

Politicians &quot;are profiteers and their only loyalty is to the countries they used to live in but not to Iraq&quot;, he said, referring to the Saddam-era exile of many of the country&#39;s current leaders.

&quot;Those politicians, they created an electoral commission based on sectarian quotas. It has nine commissioners who belong to political entities... It&#39;s not independent,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

The area houses Iraq's embassies and institutions including the electoral commission, whose replacement was a key demand of the protesters

Rockets were fired at Baghdad's Green Zone Saturday after Iraq's most violent protest in years saw seven people killed in clashes between police and demonstrators advancing on the fortified area. The body coordinating security operations in Iraq said several Katyusha-type rockets were fired from within Baghdad at the Green Zone, which houses most of the country's key institutions. "Several Katyusha rockets fired from the Baladiyat and Palestine Street areas landed in the Green Zone," the Joint Operations Command said in a statement, without specifying who fired them. Police and interior ministry officials confirmed to AFP that several rockets were fired at the area but could not specify what the presumed target was nor whether there were any victims. "Several rockets, maybe six or seven, struck the Green Zone. I can hear the siren is being sounded in the area," Maysoon Damaluji, a lawmaker who lives in the protected area, told AFP. A diplomat who also lives in the Green Zone said he heard four blasts. Several main roads were closed and extra security was deployed across Baghdad late Saturday. The Green Zone is a vast area in central Baghdad that houses the prime minister's office, the presidency, parliament and several major embassies, including the huge US mission. Although it could not be ascertained that both events were linked, it also shelters Iraq's electoral commission, whose replacement was a key demand of the thousands of protesters in the city earlier Saturday. The rally, mostly attended by supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr, started peacefully but some protesters subsequently broke away and attempted to force their way past a police cordon to reach the Green Zone. Deadly protest Security forces posted on a bridge over the Tigris River used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets to repulse the protesters. The protest, the latest in a series across the country over the past few days, was focused on demands for electoral reform ahead of provincial polls slated for September. "There were seven dead as a result of the violence. Two of them are from the security forces and the other five are protesters," a police colonel told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said more than 200 were hurt in the chaos. Most were protesters suffering from tear gas inhalation, but at least 11 had more serious injuries caused by bullets and tear gas canisters. Sadr supporters accusing Iraq's political class of corruption and nepotism broke into the so-called Green Zone twice in 2016, storming the prime minister's office and the parliament building. Saturday's demonstrators received a de facto green light to escalate their protest in the shape of a statement from the Najaf-based Sadr. "If you want to approach the gates of the Green Zone to affirm your demands and make them heard to those on the other side of the fence... you can," he said. Sadr, a mercurial Shiite who once led a rebellion against US occupation but has more recently spearheaded an anti-corruption protest movement, eventually called for restraint but warned Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi not to turn a deaf ear. "I urge him to deliver those reforms immediately, listen to the voice of the people and remove the corrupt," he said in a statement. Abadi said the violence would be investigated and those responsible for it prosecuted. Protesters want members of electoral commission to be replaced "Our action will get tougher, even if that involves physically taking over the commission," Abu Haidar, a protester wearing traditional Arab dress, told AFP before the rally turned violent. The electoral commission issued a statement asking for protection from the premier's office and the international community. The protesters want the members of the electoral commission to be replaced, on the grounds that they are all affiliated to political parties and that the body supervising nationwide ballots was, therefore, anything but independent. They also want the electoral law to be amended to give wider representation to smaller parties in the country's elected bodies. Sinan al-Azzawi, a popular Iraqi actor, was among those who addressed the protest before the violence broke out. Politicians "are profiteers and their only loyalty is to the countries they used to live in but not to Iraq", he said, referring to the Saddam-era exile of many of the country's current leaders. "Those politicians, they created an electoral commission based on sectarian quotas. It has nine commissioners who belong to political entities... It's not independent," he said. (AFP)

Seven killed in violent protests in Baghdad, rockets hit Green Zone