Electricity cut off to Baghdad’s Tahrir Square as protesters hit with tear gas
Electricity has been cut off in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and
security forces have fired tear gas to disperse tens of thousands of Iraqis who
gathered on Tuesday for a fifth day of protests, Al Arabiya’s correspondent
reported.
The protesters gathered in central Baghdad spurred on by
reports of security forces shooting dead protesters in Karbala overnight and
the prime minister’s refusal to call early elections.
It was the largest gathering in the capital since a second
wave of demonstrations against Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi’s government and
the ruling elite resumed on Friday.
Security forces stationed on the nearby Jumhuriya bridge
lobbed tear gas at protesters who tried to break through to the heavily
fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign missions.
Footage from Al Arabiya’s correspondent on the ground showed
heavy presence of Iraqi security forces in Nisour Square in central Baghdad
which was cordoned off with barbed wires to prevent hundreds of protesters from
gathering near the area.
