The special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq called on authorities to show "restraint in dealing with the protests." A video being circulated on social media appears to show the Iraqi flag being raised over the Iranian embassy in Iraq during the protests. Additional videos showed protesters burning Iranian flags.#baghdad protesters are accusing the black fask mask forces of being Iranian pic.twitter.com/nnCCQONhos
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) October 3, 2019
Iran closed two border crossings with Iraq due to the protests. One of the crossings was later reopened. Last week, a top commander from Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service was decommissioned in a move that may have been pushed for by the PMF.Ghaleb al-Shabandar, a political commentator, described the move as "the beginning of the Iraqi army’s dismantling and handover to the Hashed and other armed groups."The hashtag "We are all Abdulwahab al-Saadi" began trending on Twitter, with pictures of the commander aiding civilians in Mosul and other cities, as Iraqis across the country responded with shock."He won the people’s friendship but the [politicians’] hatred," said one supporter, while another said that there was "no more space for patriots in this country."The Shia religious authority in Iraq endorsed the protests and warned against the "serious repercussions" of violence and counter-violence, according to Al Arabiya. The authority proposed the formation of an anti-corruption committee and said that job opportunities must be provided by the government.#العراق_ينتفض انزال العلم الايراني واستبداله ب العلم العراقي في السفارة الايرانية في بغداد pic.twitter.com/oRpJAKRmWy
— Laieth Alrawi (@alrawi_laieth) October 4, 2019