At least 2 killed in clashes during demonstrations in Iraq

[maddezmom]

Source: CNN

Baghdad (CNN) -- Two people were killed after clashes erupted between demonstrators and security forces in at least two Iraqi cities Friday, police said.

A teenage boy was killed and eight people were wounded Friday morning when Iraqi security forces opened fire on demonstrators who tried to force their way into a provincial council building in central Mosul, police said.

In the town of Hawijah -- located about 60 kilometers west of Kirkuk, Iraq -- one protester was killed and 12 others were wounded Friday morning when Iraqi security forces opened fire on protesters after hundreds threw stones at police and troops there, Kirkuk police said.

Demonstrators also amassed in other cities around the country Friday.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/25/iraq.protests/

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Iraq Protesters Are Attacked While Police Stand By, HRW Says

Peaceful rallies in Iraq to call for an end to corruption and improved basic services were marred this week when police stood by as armed assailants beat and stabbed protesters, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Dozens of men wielding clubs and knives on Feb. 21 attacked about 50 protesters who had set up tents in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, wounding at least 20, according to the report, issued by the New York-based campaign group late yesterday. Witnesses told the group the assailants talked to the police before the attack.

The protesters used the Internet, including social media websites, to plan rallies across Iraq today, HRW said, a month after a similar “Day of Anger” demonstration in Egypt led to the Feb. 11 ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Five people were killed today at a rally in the northern city of Mosul and there were dozens of casualties, including some deaths, in al-Anbar province, west of Baghdad, Al Arabiya television reported.

more:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-25/iraq-protesters-are-attacked-while-police-stand-by-hrw-says.html

[maddezmom]

1. Nine killed in Iraq as officials urge against protests (1st Lead)

Nine killed in Iraq as officials urge against protests (1st Lead)
Feb 25, 2011, 10:38 GMT


Baghdad - At least nine Iraqis were killed Friday in protests as thousands of people demonstrated amid tight security, demanding economic reforms, better social services, more employment opportunities and an end to corruption.

Thousands defied calls not to protest in Baghdad's Tahrir Square and other cities throughout the country, despite warnings from religious and political officials alleging that these protests have been masterminded by al-Qaeda and loyalists to former leader Saddam Hussein.

Five protesters were killed and dozens injured in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul when security forces fired at people. Witnesses said some protesters were trying to break into a local government building.

more:http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1621989.php/Nine-killed-in-Iraq-as-officials-urge-against-protests-1st-Lead

[maddezmom]

2. 19 killed in Iraq's 'Day of Rage' protests

By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 25, 2011; 11:19 AM

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Despite pleas by the government and Shiite religious leaders for Iraqis to stay home, demonstrators gathered by the hundreds and thousands from Basra in the south to Mosul and Kirkuk in the north.

Protesters expressed anger and rage at local leaders as well as at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, storming provincial government offices in several cities and calling for more jobs, electricity and clean water, better pensions and medical care.

Security forces used tear gas, water cannons, sound bombs and at times live bullets to disperse the crowds. Fatalities were reported in Mosul, Fallujah, Tikrit and a town near Kirkuk, when security forces opened fire on demonstrators who were surrounding--or in some cases storming--government buildings. There were also clashes in Ramadi.

In the southern province of Basra, about 10,000 demonstrators forced the resignation of the provincial governor. In Fallujah, protesters forced the resignation of the entire city council.

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022502781.html?hpid=topnews