Overnight in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala, a brutal crackdown was
launched against anti-government protesters. The attackers were in
plainclothes with black masks, and by the time they were done, 20 were dead and over 800 wounded.
Since they were plainclothes, and not the military, the government is
insisting that the whole thing didn’t happen, insisting that there were
no deaths in Karbala, except for one in an unrelated crime.
Iraqi protesters aren’t buying the idea that this didn’t happen, and tens of thousands rallied against in Baghdad, defying army threats and curfew orders, adding size to the demonstrations and demanding the prime minister resign.
Tuesday’s rallies in Baghdad were the largest yet, filling Tahrir
Square, and with top political figures also joining forces to call for
Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi’s removal from power, it seems less and less
likely that he’s going to be able to turn it around and survive.
At Least 20 Killed in Bloody Crackdown on Iraq’s Karbala Protesters
Govt denies anyone was killed, insists attack didn't happen
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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