Dozens of people were wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-Iran protesters in Iraq’s southern city of Karbala Tuesday during the annual Shiite Muslim pilgrimage of Arbaeen.
Iraqi protesters clashed with security forces outside a holy Shiite Muslim shrine in the southern city of Karbala causing injuries to several people, a Reuters reporter said.
Tuesday’s clashes took place near the Imam Hussein shrine.
The protesters were commemorating demonstrators killed during months of anti-government and anti-Iran unrest in 2019 in which more than 500 Iraqis died.
The protesters had marched towards the shrine, witnesses said. Some became angry because they were not allowed into the shrine concourse, the Reuters reporter said. Security forces then charged the protesters with batons, causing skirmishes and pushing them back.
Demonstrators retaliated against security forces attacking other protesters over the chanting of anti-Iran slogans.
A Karbala security official said the protesters had arrived as part of a pilgrimage group, but before the time allotted for them to tour the shrine. Part of the group grew violent and police acted to eject them from the area, the official said.
In other news, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi formed a committee to investigate recent rocket and explosion attacks on diplomatic missions and convoys for the US-led Coalition forces in Iraq, according to a communique.
The committee led by Iraq’s national security advisor Qassem al-Araji includes head of the Popular Mobilization Forces Falih al-Fayyadh, head of national security council Abdulghani Assadi and army’s chief of staff Abdulamir Yarallah as well as a number of other security officers.
The committee has to complete its investigation within 30 days and provide the premier with results of the investigation, the communique said.
Al-Kazemi said during its first meeting that "the committee is authorized to obtain any information it requests from any party, and we expect it to come up with its results within the timeframe set for it."
Kadhimi stressed the importance of granting full information access to the probe body. He also predicted that the committee will come up with results within its designated timeframe.
