Hundreds of Iraqis protest in Baghdad’s Tahrir square against corruption
Iraqi youth gathered a road
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Hundreds of Iraqi people gathered at the Tahrir square in central Baghdad to protest at a lack of services, rampant corruption and high unemployment rates.
A few protesters were seen near the Jisr al-Jomhoriya (Republic Bridge), which leads to the heavily-fortified Green Zone, home to the Iraqi parliament and U.S. embassy, according to the privately-owned Baghdad Today website.
Some protesters chanted slogans in favor of Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi, who was fired from his post as commander of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (ICTS) last week.
The decision to dismiss al-Saadi and transfer him to work under the command of the Defense Ministry made a stir among observers, given that Saadi was a starring name in the three-year battles and subsequent victory against Islamic State militants in late 2017.
Iraqi media had quoted Saidi saying he would “better be jailed than transferred”, and that a decision to send him to retirement could have been more appropriate given his performance and long service.
Several Iraqi provinces have seen mass protests in response to online campaigns to express anger about the deteriorating situation in the country, despite the defeat of Islamic State terrorist group.