Armed men storm TV station after 80 die in Iraq protests – By Sanya Burgess (Sky News) / Oct 6 2019
The number of dead or injured continues to rise – with one estimate suggesting 4,000 people have been hurt.
Armed men dressed in black have stormed the offices of a news broadcaster in Iraq, the station has said.
The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel says some of its staff have been injured and equipment has been destroyed in the raid which came after days of threats to the broadcaster.
A member of staff from the channel claims “members of the federal police declined assistance to us during the attack” but they have since had “assurances from the prime minister’s office and from officials [they will] investigate the attack”.
Gunmen also attacked the offices of Iraq’s privately owned Dajla and NRT news channels situated in Baghdad.
Image: Iraqi protesters burn tyres during a protest on Saturday
More than 80 people have died since anti-government protests began in Iraq on Tuesday, according to official figures.
However, the semi-official Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights has recorded significantly higher numbers.
The partially independent commission has reported almost 100 people have died and nearly 4,000 have been injured.
Violent anti-government protests have resulted in security forces firing live rounds and tear gas into the demonstrating crowds.
It is the most serious disruption to hit the country since the defeat of Islamic State two years ago.
Friday saw the worst of the violence so far, with Iraqi officials confirming the deaths of 22 protesters and 183 people sustaining injuries.
Image: Workers sweep up bullets and debris on Saturday morning
Iraq’s top Shia cleric called for both sides to end the violence “before it’s too late”.
Undeterred, protesters have gathered again in the streets around Baghdad’s main Tahrir square on Saturday, after authorities lifted a round-the-clock curfew designed to calm the unrest.
Within hours of workers clearing the streets of bullets and debris, violence broke out again.
Image: Protesters flee from riot police firing tear gas and live rounds
“We will keep going and we won’t back down,” said Abbas Najm, a 43-year-old unemployed engineer who was part of a rally on Saturday.
“It has been 16 years of corruption and injustice. We are not afraid of bullets or the death of martyrs.”
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and an investigation into the killings of protesters.
Grassroots rallies began as demonstrators, many of whom are young, took to the streets demanding jobs and an end to corruption. They also called for improvements to basic amenities including electricity and water.
Parliament is expected to hold an emergency session this weekend in response – but with one of the largest power factions in parliament calling for a boycott, the session is not guaranteed.
The curfew has been left in place in other southern cities and the internet has been blocked.
https://news.sky.com/story/72-dead-and-thousands-injured-as-iraqi-protests-enter-fifth-day-11828168
