TWO anti-government protesters were killed and 21 were injured in Baghdad in new clashes between demonstrators and Iraqi security forces, human rights monitors and officials said yesterday. The violence came after months of quiet in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tension between the security forces and the demonstrators soared when dozens of protesters cut off the road connecting two main intersections — the Tayaran Square and the Tahrir Square. Some burned tires while others chanted slogans about power cuts in the scorching summer months.

Iraqi security forces eventually fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, said Iraqi health and security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

In October, mass anti-government protests erupted in Baghdad and across Iraq’s predominately Shiite south as tens of thousands of angry Iraqi youth took to the streets to decry rampant government corruption, poor services and unemployment. Pressure from protests lead to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

His successor, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, has vowed to meet protester demands by holding early elections and investigating protester deaths. (SD-Agencies)