Iraq: Protest in Baghdad turns gruesome, 110 people allegedly killed

International media reported 15 people were allegedly killed in Baghdad's Sadr City district on October 9. The incident happened after a fight between protesters and security forces that took place late at night. The clashes happened for the first time spreading to a vast, poor swath of the capital. People had gathered to protest for the change of the Iraq government. Notably, it has been mentioned in foreign media, that the death toll allegedly increased to a total of 110 people.

The protests in Iraq

People are suffering from such constant clashes leading to loss of life. They were for the most part dissenters requesting the removal of the Iraqi government and upgrade of its political class, as security powers completed a ponderous crackdown on demonstrators. The spread of the destruction that took place in Sadr City on Sunday night represents another security challenge for authorities managing the most awful brutality in the nation since the Islamic State group was defeated about two years back. 

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Opposition demands the government to step down

However, history is evident that violence is difficult to stop in Sadr City, an unpredictable region where about 33% of Baghdad's 8 million individuals live in restricted alleys. People living in these areas have little access to water, electricity and employment. Monday was relatively quieter. The military pulled back soldiers and the federal police took over patrolling of the district in the early morning. It was considered a sign that the government wants to avoid any conflict with the supporters of the powerful Opposition cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The Opposition is demanding the government to step down. 

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People lack basic amenities

One of Sadr City residents spoke to an international agency on the phone stating the avenues were quiet during the day. He also said that the local militiamen were coming to assess the damage done by the escalating violence and police officials were deployed around the near-by areas. The uprising over the previous week has suddenly finished two years of relative calmness in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Numerous Iraqis, particularly youngsters, have stated that entrenched government corruption means that the citizens have received no benefits which were promised after the situation in the country gained stability. The turmoil comes after years of foreign occupation and sectarian civil war.

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Government's response 

The International media witnessed the killing of the protesters, with many of them even injured by snipers. The security officials reportedly opened fire at the crowd from rooftops of the building of the Interior Ministry. However, authorities denied government forces shot directly at protesters. 

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