Baghdad tightens security after protests

Most areas in Baghdad were quiet on Thursday morning as Iraqi authorities enforced a curfew after two days of deadly protests in the capital and other provinces.

Security forces were heavily deployed in the city and only ambulances and government vehicles were seen on the streets. Small groups of protesters who had gathered in Baghdad’s southern suburbs of al-Zaafaraniya and Jisr Diyala were surrounded by security forces, witnesses told DPA.

Internet was also cut in most of the country.

According to the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, the protests began on Tuesday and turned violent leaving at least four killed and almost 300 injured.

The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State called on all sides to reduce tensions and reject violence. It said Iraqi security forces were also investigating explosions in the Green Zone.

“No coalition facility was struck,’’ it said in a statement on Thursday.

The 24-hour curfew was also imposed in other provinces on Wednesday evening including Nasiriyah and Dhi Qar until further notice.

Iraqis have taken to the streets several times since 2018 to protest unemployment, corruption, and lack of services.