Curfew Declared in Baghdad After Protesters Storm Government Buildings
This is the second time the building was stormed this month.
— -- A state of emergency has been declared in Baghdad, Iraq, and the city has been put under a curfew “until further notice” after rioters stormed the offices of the prime minister demanding reform and criticizing the government's failure to secure the country or mitigate corruption.
Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds, killing several people, including a journalist, according to the Associated Press, and witnesses described protesters suffering dire wounds.
One protester was shot in the head, the AP reported.
This is the second time the heavily fortified compound, equivalent in stature to the White House, has been breached by protesters in the past month. The rioters included supporters of powerful Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as well as others who were demanding governmental reform.
The unrest comes three weeks after Vice President Joe Biden visited the Iraqi capital in an effort to bolster the administration of Prime Minister Haider Jawad Kadhim Al-Abadi, who is seen as a critical part of America's effort to defeat ISIS in the region. During the visit, Biden urged the Iraq’s politicians to put the good of the nation above sectarian or political interests.