All this comes as the government in Iraq feigns to not know who is killing the protesters.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANIraqi demonstrators take part in ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq November 15, 2019.(photo credit: THAIER AL-SUDANI/REUTERS)
An explosion ripped apart a car and harmed protesters in Baghdad, the latest tragedy to affect the protests that have gone on for a month and a half in Iraq. The explosion took place between Jamhuriyah bridge and Tahrir square where tens of thousands of protesters have gathered every night since October 25.According to a media group in Iraq one person was killed and 16 injured. However, the full details from the explosion, which took place around 10:30pm, were not yet available. Protesters in Iraq have faced numerous threats since they began in early October. First they were fired on by snipers in Baghdad and southern Iraq. More than 300 were killed in a month. Then they were targeted by deadly tear gas cannisters purposely shot at their heads. Thousands were injured.Protesters have also faced targeted kidnappings. All this comes as the government in Iraq feigns to not know who is killing the protesters. Some have alleged that Iranian-backed militias have sent men clad in black with rifles to shoot them. Others say that Iranian munitions, in the form of the tear gas grenades, have been used. But the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi claims it didn’t buy this particular type of tear gas. The president Barham Salih has said people have a right to protest. The leader of the largest party, Muqtada al-Sadr, has said that people have a right to protest. And yet they are still dying.The scenes this week were made more rapturous by an Iraqi team’s win over Iran. This has galvanized Iraqis who tend to blame pro-Iranian parties and militias for their problems. Rumors claim that Iran’s IRGC Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani has been in Baghdad directing the crack down. On Thursday night Tahrir square was thronged. The government has tried to push the protesters back from the Green Zone government areas. It has blocked five main bridges. It has even said that the Interior Ministry police, accused of some abuses, may be switched out for army personnel this weekend.
