A protest against government corruption and unemployment occurred in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, and nine people were killed and hundreds were injured in the first two days after colliding with security forces. Local media reported. Iraq, which declared the completion of the extermination of the Islamic State (IS) at the end of 2017, the reconstruction has not progressed as expected, and public dissatisfaction has increased.
According to local media and AP news, a 1,000-person demonstration started on the 1st at Tahrir Square in the center of Baghdad by an SNS call. When security forces responded with tear gas or water discharge, some fired into tires and trash and turned into mob. There is also information that security forces used live ammunition. Demonstrations have spread to southern Nasiriya and other areas, and some nights are prohibited.
It seems to be the largest since Prime Minister Abdul Mahadi took office in October last year. SNS such as Twitter and Facebook seems to be blocked locally.
Iraq has declared the end of the IS sweeps, but terrorism is sporadic. Administrative services are unsatisfactory and the unemployment rate is high mainly among young people. Government dissatisfaction with corruption has persisted, and large-scale demonstrations have been taking place in southern Basra last summer. (Dubai = Yusuke Takano)