Clashes in Iraq’s Nasiriyah result in at least 16 killed, 152 injured
At least sixteen people have been killed and 152
others injured in clashes in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, reported Al
Arabiya sources on Thursday.
Protesters have taken control of al-Nasr and
al-Zaytoun bridges in the city, reported Al Arabiya's correspondent. Meanwhile,
AFP and local media put the death toll up from eight to 13 at Thursday 11:00
a.m. local time.
A curfew has been opposed in response to the
clashes, said local officials. Nationally, the government announced it is
setting up military-led ‘crisis cells’ aimed at quelling mass unrest according
to a military statement on Thursday.
The province of Dhi Qar, which Nasiriyah is the
capital of, has been one of the centers of the ongoing protests in Iraq.
Elsewhere in the country, protesters blocked roads
connecting Baghdad to Diyala province. Al Arabiya sources also reported clashes
in Samawah, in Muthanna province north of Nasiriyah.
The clashes between security forces and protesters
come the night after anti-government protesters burned down the Iranian
consulate building in Najaf on Wednesday night. Baghdad and Tehan both
condemned the attack on Thursday morning.
