The Iraqi army and the people of the western Anbar prevented convoys of demonstrators from Babil in central Iraq from entering the province to start demonstrations there.
The commander of Anbar operations, Lieutenant-General Nasser Al-Ghannam, tried to calm the tense situation at the checkpoint at the entrance to the province, where he met with a number of people claiming to be representatives of the demonstrators.
A large number of residents went out to the security barrier that separates Baghdad from Anbar, in order to prevent them from entering the province.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a politician from Anbar told Asharq Al-Awsat, that the protesters, who are coming to Anbar, were not only from Babil, but were deliberately gathered from several central and southern provinces.
On the reasons that prevented Anbar from joining the demonstrations of the rest of the provinces in Iraq since their launch in October 2019, the politician said: “The people of Anbar demonstrated in late 2012, and almost throughout 2013, and built tents on the international highway linking Baghdad and Anbar, all the way to the border crossings between Iraq and Syria and Jordan. None of the demands were fulfilled.”
He expressed concern that the differences between the political leaders in Anbar would be expanded in order to stir up strife in the province.
The politician continued: “The elections are imminent and questions are now being raised about whether or not they will be held… This is just a political nonsense, because there is practically nothing to prevent the elections, except the withdrawal of the Sadrist movement...”
In turn, Abdullah Al-Kharbit, a member of parliament from Anbar and one of the prominent sheikhs of the province, confirmed in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the demonstration was “driven by political parties for their own purpose and not for the people of Anbar, who are all busy now in a frantic electoral race.”
