Riots in Iraq

Clashes between security forces and protesters broke out in southern Iraq recently. Two thousand protesters took to the streets of Kut, Wasit Province to demand better public services, and they eventually sacked government offices and stormed the provincial council. Three government offices were set on fire, including the governor's home.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of provincial governor Latif Hamad al-Tarfa due to the horrible way basic public services such as electricity and water are handled.

“We demand that our rights be met, that we have better services and that the authorities fight corruption,” said Ali Mohsen, a 54-year-old university professor.

The police are saying that three people have been killed, and thirty people have been wounded, including fifteen police officers. Among the dead is a sixteen year old boy who was shot in the chest.

Police and soldiers fired weapons into the air to disperse the demonstrators, and private security guards working for the Wasit Council shot directly into the crowd.

"They were outside the law,” police Brigadier General Hussein Jassim said with regards to the actions of the private security personnel.