Death toll of Iraqi protests rises to 10 amid an angry protests that continued for days

A source said that “the death toll has risen to 10 protesters killed by the authorities after angry protests had begun in Basra due to the lack of the basic services needed by human beings, and the constant corruption of the local and central governments.”

A source said that “the death toll has risen to 10 protesters killed by the authorities after angry protests had begun in Basra due to the lack of the basic services needed by human beings, and the constant corruption of the local and central governments.”

The Iraqi army on Wednesday blamed “unidentified gunmen” for the Tuesday death of six protesters. “The protesters slain yesterday in downtown Basra were killed by unknown gunmen in a car,” army commander Jamil al-Shammari said in a statement.

Jan Kubis, the United Nations (UN)’s envoy to Iraq, has called for “calm” in Basra, asking Baghdad to “investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the outbreak of violence” and “do its utmost to respond to the people’s rightful demands of clean water and electricity supplies.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that he had ordered “no real bullets… to be fired in the direction of protesters or in the air.”