Five dead in Iraqi ‘Day of Rage’

Thousands of Iraqis have staged a ‘Day of Rage’ inspired by similar movements elsewhere in the Arab world.

At least five were killed in towns and cities throughout the country from Kirkuk in the north to Basra in the south.

They marched to the governor’s building, their anger fuelled by shortages of jobs, food and clean water, and frequent power-cuts.

Thousands poured into Liberation Square in the capital too despite a virtually total security clampdown.

Some protesters still managed to vent their anger on the concrete blast-wall leading to Baghdad’s green-zone, where there are many government buildings and foreign embassies.

Demonstrator Malik Abdon said: “We are educated young people. There are a number of masters university students among us. The government have stolen our dreams. We are young men without dreams.”

Iraqi soldiers and police were deployed en masse in central Baghdad enforcing a vehicle curfew and searching protesters.

Eight years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam there is fury at government corruption and that life is not easier.

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