Over 15 Injured In Baghdad Clashes Between Police, Protesters - Reports

BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2020) Clashes between security forces and protesters in Baghdad left more than 15 people injured, Iraqi channel Al Sumaria reported on Sunday.

Protesters, urging the authorities to eliminate corruption, rallied at the Allawi and Tahrir squares in the Iraqi capital since Sunday morning.

Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr said that there were provocateurs among the protesters, who wanted a peaceful rally to deteriorate into riots so as to destabilize the situation in Iraq.

Mass protests are also held in the Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf.

The protesters oppose the ruling elite that came to power after Saddam Hussein had been overthrown in 2003. The major part of the Iraqi population lives in deep poverty, despite the fact that the country is rich with oil. The opposition accuses Iraqi authorities of corruption and inefficient management.