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Death toll climbs as Iraq unrest hits Baghdad's volatile Sadr City

Arab World Materials 8 October 2019 01:16 (UTC +04:00)
Protesters began gathering in Baghdad’s Sadr City district late on Monday after overnight clashes with security forces spread to the vast
Death toll climbs as Iraq unrest hits Baghdad's volatile Sadr City

Protesters began gathering in Baghdad’s Sadr City district late on Monday after overnight clashes with security forces spread to the vast, poor swath of the Iraqi capital for the first time killing 15 people, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The night of violence pushed the death toll after a week of unrest to 110 people. They were mostly protesters demanding the removal of the Iraqi government and overhaul of its political class, as security forces carried out a heavy-handed crackdown on demonstrators.

The spread of the violence into Sadr City on Sunday night poses a new security challenge for authorities dealing with the worst violence in the country since the Islamic State group was defeated nearly two years ago.

Unrest is historically difficult to put down in Sadr City, a volatile district where about a third of Baghdad’s 8 million people live in narrow alleys, many with little access to electricity, water and jobs.

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