Security Forces Disperse Student Demonstration in Iraqi Kurdistan

Riot police confront students protesting against cutting their stipends in Sulaymaniyah (AFP)
Riot police confront students protesting against cutting their stipends in Sulaymaniyah (AFP)
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Security Forces Disperse Student Demonstration in Iraqi Kurdistan

Riot police confront students protesting against cutting their stipends in Sulaymaniyah (AFP)
Riot police confront students protesting against cutting their stipends in Sulaymaniyah (AFP)

Security forces in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, on Tuesday, dispersed thousands of students partaking in a demonstration demanding the restoration of monthly payments.

Riot police disbanded the protest, firing shots in the air and a volley of tear gas canisters.

Such turmoil and severe social inequalities affect the image of the Kurdistan region, which is trying to emerge as a haven for stability and economic prosperity in an Iraq that repeated wars have undermined.

According to AFP, thousands of students gathered on Tuesday for the third day in a row in front of Sulaymaniyah University and blocked the highway linking Sulaymaniyah to the city of Kirkuk.

Demonstrators are demanding the repayment of $40-$66 monthly allowances that were granted to students but have been suspended since 2014.

The financial stipend program was frozen after the collapse of global oil prices and due to budget disputes between Kurdistan and Baghdad.

Security forces fired tear gas canisters at the demonstrators several times before firing warning shots into the air to force the students to disperse.

This was followed by hit-and-run raids in the city featuring security forces and protesters who set piles of trash on fire.

“We, as students, are demonstrating because of the six-year cut-off in stipends,” said one of the protesters under the conditions of anonymity.

“We desperately need this small amount. There are students among our colleagues who are unable to travel to their home in the districts and sub-districts due to the lack of sufficient funds for that,” they added.

“There are other students who can’t eat three meals a day,” revealed the protester.

“The protesters’ demands are legitimate. Students are suffering from a difficult economic situation, and the government must respond to their demands,” said Sara Qadr, a PhD student at the Sulaymaniyah University.



Israel Attacks Yemeni Ports, Warns That Houthi Leader Is a Target

Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
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Israel Attacks Yemeni Ports, Warns That Houthi Leader Is a Target

Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)

Israel struck Yemen's Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif on Friday, continuing its campaign to degrade Houthi military capabilities and warning that the group's top leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, could be targeted if attacks on Israel persist.

The Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they have agreed to halt attacks on US ships.

Israel has carried out retaliatory strikes in response, including one on May 6 that damaged Yemen's main airport in Sanaa and killed several people.

On Friday, the Israeli military said the ports of Hodeidah and Salif were being used to transfer weapons, reiterating its warnings to residents of those areas to evacuate.

Residents in Hodeidah said they heard four loud booms and saw smoke rising from the port following the Israeli strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement they would hunt down the Houthis' top leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

"If the Houthis continue to fire missiles at the State of Israel, they will be severely harmed, and we will also hurt the leaders," they said, adding that al-Houthi could join the list of militant figures killed by Israel, such as Hamas' Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah.

The Houthis are part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" against Israeli and US interests in the Middle East, alongside Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks toward Israel, most of which have been intercepted or landed short.