People gather during a protest near the main provincial government building because of the water pollution and poor services in Basra, Iraq

Security forces responds to demonstrators in Basra because of lack of public services

Seven protesters are dead and more than 30 wounded during a rally after security forces opened fire in Iraq’s southern Basra province Tuesday.

Security forces responded to protesters who staged the demonstration due to the lack of public services, according to local sources.

Demonstrators set the governor's building on fire, the sources said.

Basra Operations Command declared a curfew after the incidents.

Roughly 80 percent of Iraq’s overall crude oil exports originate from oilfields in Basra province.

For years, residents have complained that foreign nationals, rather than locals, were being employed by the domestic energy sector.

They also complain of frequent power outages amid summer temperatures that often reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 F).

Since July 9, the province, as well as other southern and central Shia-majority provinces, have witnessed ongoing protests which have spread to capital, Baghdad.

Demonstrators demand improved public services like water and electricity, more job opportunities and an end to government corruption.

Iraqi parliament postpones election of assembly speaker Parties, coalitions continue to squabble over parliament majority following May 12 polls

Iraq lawmakers agree to delay next meeting, speaker's election to Sept 15</s>Basra: Six people were killed on Tuesday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in ongoing unrest, as protesters rally against economic woes and the dire state of public services. "Six demonstrators were killed and more than 20 wounded," said Mehdi al-Tamimi, head of the government's human rights council in Basra province.

Security forces "directly opened fire on protesters," he said. Medical sources previously said two demonstrators were killed on Tuesday as thousands of people rallied outside the local government headquarters in Basra.

During the protests, some people in the crowd hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the government building, while security forces responded with tear gas and by firing shots into the air. Around 15 members of the security forces were injured in the clashes, the medical sources said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi said an investigation had been launched into the death of another protester on Monday. Addressing his weekly press conference in the capital Baghdad, Abadi reasserted he had ordered "no real bullets are to be fired, in the direction of protesters or in the air".

Mekki Yasser Ashur died after being shot during protests, his family said Tuesday during his funeral march. Protesters accompanied his coffin through the streets of Basra until the government building, before being dispersed by tear gas.

During the procession some armed civilians fired shots into the air and hailed Ashur as a "martyr". Police and military cordons had been put in place, blocking numerous roads, while Basra's hospitals were filled with protesters bringing in people wounded in the clashes.

Basra's human rights council chief said tension was high in the city and "the shops have shut a lot earlier than usual". Tamimi warned of further escalation "if the government's doesn't respond to the demands of demonstrators".

The government has already announced an emergency plan in response to the protests, while promising billions of dollars in investment for southern Iraq. But protesters are wary of such pledges from the outgoing administration, as Iraqi lawmakers are in the process of forming a new government after May's election.

Political corruption has also fuelled protests, which erupted in Basra on July 8 before spreading across southern Iraq and reaching the capital. A litany of social problems -- from unemployment to electricity cuts -- have also been a central complaint of demonstrators.

Iraqis have also called on authorities to clean up the water supply, with pollution blamed for putting 20,000 people in hospital in Basra province alone. Protests had died down recently but since Friday large numbers have taken to the streets again.

Since early July, 21 people have been killed in protests across Iraq. At least one of those was shot dead by security forces, while authorities have accused "vandals" of infiltrating the rallies.</s>BASRA - Six people were killed on Tuesday during a rally in the oil-rich southern Iraqi city of Basra, an official said, which has been shaken by two months of protest.

“Six demonstrators were killed and more than 20 wounded,” said Mehdi al-Tamimi, head of the government’s human rights council in Basra province. Security forces “directly opened fire on protesters,” he said.

Medical sources previously said two demonstrators were killed on Tuesday as thousands of people rallied outside the local government headquarters in Basra.

During the protests, some people in the crowd hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the government building, while security forces responded with tear gas and by firing shots into the air.

Around 15 members of the security forces were injured in the clashes, the medical sources said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said an investigation had been launched into the death of another protester the day before.

Addressing his weekly press conference in the capital Baghdad, Abadi reasserted he had ordered “no real bullets are to be fired, in the direction of protesters or in the air”.

Mekki Yasser Ashur died after being shot during protests, his family said Tuesday during his funeral march.

Protesters, some armed, accompanied his coffin through the streets of Basra until the government building before being dispersed by tear gas.

Tamimi, head of the provincial council for human rights in Basra, said security forces shot Ashur.

Protests erupted in Basra on July 8 over unemployment and the dire state of basic public services such as electricity, before spreading across southern Iraq and reaching the capital.

Iraqis have also called on authorities to clean up the water supply, with pollution blamed for putting 20,000 people in hospital in Basra province alone.

Protests had died down recently but since Friday large numbers have taken to the streets again.

Since early July, 21 people have been killed in protests across Iraq. At least one of those was shot dead by security forces, while authorities have accused “vandals” of infiltrating the rallies.</s>BASRA, Iraq: A protester has died and six more were wounded in clashes with security forces in Iraq's southern oil hub Basra on Monday night, local health and security sources said.

Protesters threw petrol bombs cocktails and stones at security forces, who responded by firing shots into the air and tear gas, security sources said.

Hundreds of people had gathered near Basra's provincial government headquarters to press demands for better public services and an end corruption. The crowd averaged about 600-700 people at its peak, but thinned throughout the night.

Health sources said six protesters were taken to hospitals after sustaining injuries during the protests.

The local head of Iraq's Human Rights Commission, Mahdi al-Tamimi, called for an immediate investigation into the protester's death.

"We call on the Iraqi judiciary to open an immediate and urgent investigation into the killing of a demonstrator who was shot in the shoulder and subjected to electric shocks by security forces," Tamimi said in a statement.

Protests have swept cities in the long neglected south, Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim heartland, over electricity outages during the hot Iraqi summer, a lack of jobs and proper government services, and entrenched graft.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi suspended the electricity minister last month and said on Monday that his government had begun punishing those responsible for poor services in Basra, Iraq's second biggest city.

But public anger has swelled at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May. Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed support for the protests.

On Friday, hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces in Basra as they tried to break into the provincial government headquarters.</s>BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces sprayed tear gas and fired into the air on Wednesday to try to disperse thousands of protesters in the southern city of Basra, in some of the worst unrest in the region for months.

The deaths of five protesters in clashes with security forces on Tuesday added to anger in the oil hub over poor government services. Like other cities in the long-neglected south, Basra is plagued by electricity outages, unemployment and entrenched corruption.

Security and health sources said that 22 members of the security forces had been injured in Tuesday’s unrest, some by a hand grenade.

On Wednesday frustrations were once again focused on the provincial governorate building, where thousands of people gathered. The crowds were growing as stones were hurled at the building. Some protesters tried to break down concrete barriers around the governorate.

Basra residents say salt seeping into the water supply has made it undrinkable and sent hundreds to hospital. This is proof, they say, that infrastructure has been allowed to collapse in the part of Iraq that produces most of its oil wealth.

Iraq’s second biggest city, Basra is a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shi’ite cleric and former leader of an anti-American sectarian militia who has recast himself as an anti-corruption campaigner.

Public anger has grown at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May.

Sadr’s bloc came in first place in the vote, which was tainted by allegations of corruption which forced a recount.

Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed support for the protests.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Iraqi security forces sprayed tear gas and fired into the air to try to disperse thousands of protesters on Wednesday in the southern city of Basra, in some of the worst unrest in the region for months.

BASRA, Iraq: Iraqi security forces sprayed tear gas and fired into the air on Wednesday to try to disperse thousands of protesters in the southern city of Basra, in some of the worst unrest in the region for months.

The deaths of five protesters in clashes with security forces on Tuesday added to anger in the oil hub over poor government services. Like other cities in the long-neglected south, Basra is plagued by electricity outages, unemployment and entrenched corruption.

Security and health sources said that 22 members of the security forces had been injured in Tuesday's unrest, some by a hand grenade.

On Wednesday frustrations were once again focused on the provincial governorate building, where thousands of people gathered. The crowds were growing as stones were hurled at the building. Some protesters tried to break down concrete barriers around the governorate.

Basra residents say salt seeping into the water supply has made it undrinkable and sent hundreds to hospital. This is proof, they say, that infrastructure has been allowed to collapse in the part of Iraq that produces most of its oil wealth.

Iraq's second biggest city, Basra is a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric and former leader of an anti-American sectarian militia who has recast himself as an anti-corruption campaigner.

Public anger has grown at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May.

Sadr's bloc came in first place in the vote, which was tainted by allegations of corruption which forced a recount.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed support for the protests.</s>A day after six people were killed in southern Iraq's Basra city, violent protests over poor government services continued with security forces opening fire after new clashes.

Protesters in Basra told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that live ammunition and tear gas were fired by security personnel at hundreds of demonstrators outside the regional government headquarters in the oil-rich province.

At least one demonstrator was taken to hospital after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister. An overnight curfew was imposed and more security personnel deployed in the city, an army official said.

Basra and surrounding areas have been the focus of angry demonstrations over alleged government neglect that have rocked Iraq since early July.

Residents in Iraq's second-largest city are particularly angry over pollution of the water supply, which, they allege, has hospitalised more than 20,000 people.

On Tuesday, six demonstrators were shot dead and 20 wounded when hundreds of people gathered to mourn the death of a protester killed a day before.

The Iraqi army on Wednesday blamed "unidentified gunmen" for the death of the six demonstrators.

"The protesters slain yesterday in downtown Basra were killed by unknown gunmen in a car," army commander Jamil al-Shammari said in a statement a day after the massacre.

Al-Shammari denied reports Iraqi security forces fired on protesters outside provincial headquarters but went on to assert that the demonstrations "were not entirely peaceful in nature".

"Security forces were surprised to find a group of demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails, burning tires and attacking citizens," he said.

Jan Kubis, United Nations envoy to Iraq, called for "calm" in Basra and urged authorities "to avoid using disproportionate, lethal force against the demonstrators".

Kubis also asked the government to "investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the outbreak of violence" and "do its utmost to respond to the people's rightful demands of clean water and electricity supplies".

Defending his government over Basra's deadly unrest, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday said he had ordered "no real bullets ... to be fired in the direction of protesters or in the air".

Shia leader Moqtada Sadr, who is hoping to form a new government with Abadi, said in a tweet ahead of the latest clashes that "vandals infiltrated" the protesters.

Iraq is currently in a state of political limbo with Sadr's coalition winning the largest number of seats in national elections held in May, but falling short of a majority.

Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, pledged to take measures to put an end to the health crisis that has ravaged the oil-rich province of Basra.

Abadi announced on Tuesday he met lawmakers from Basra, who are in Baghdad for the parliament's first session since the elections, to resolve the water pollution issue.

In July, the government announced a multi-billion dollar emergency plan for southern Iraq to revive the region's infrastructure and services.

But protesters said they are wary of promises made by the outgoing government, even as negotiations drag on over the formation of the next administration.</s>BASRA, Iraq: Five protesters were killed and 16 more were injured during a second day of clashes with security forces in Iraq's main southern city Basra, local health and security sources said.

Twenty-two members of the security forces were also wounded, some by a hand grenade, the sources said, in some of the worst unrest reported during months of protests sweeping the long neglected south, heartland of Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim majority.

Protesters are angry over electricity outages during the hot Iraqi summer, a lack of jobs and proper government services and entrenched corruption.

Basra residents say salt seeping into the water supply has made it undrinkable and sent hundreds to hospital, proof that infrastructure has been allowed to collapse in the part of the country that produces most of its oil wealth.

Hundreds of people gathered at local government buildings, hurled petrol bombs and stones and attempted to block roads leading to the building for a second night. Some protesters stormed one of the provincial government buildings and set it alight.

Security forces fired live rounds in the air as well as tear gas to try and disperse the crowd, local sources said. Pillars of smoke could be seen billowing from the outer perimeter of the provincial government headquarters, where many had gathered earlier on Tuesday to mourn a protester who died on Monday night, Yasser Makki.

Iraq's second biggest city, Basra is a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric and former leader of anti-American sectarian militia who has recast himself as an anti-corruption campaigner.

The public anger has swelled at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May. Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed support for the protests.

Earlier on Tuesday, mourners carried Makki's body near the building, chanting "Yasser's blood will not be lost". They damaged the gate of the local government building but were dispersed by security forces using tear gas before they could enter it.

As the clashes continued into Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an investigation into Makki's death.

"Our orders are clear in banning the firing of live ammunition during demonstrations," Abadi said in his weekly news conference, according to state TV.

Abadi suspended the electricity minister last month, saying his government had begun punishing those responsible for poor services in Basra.</s>BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Protesters set fire to the main government building in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Wednesday, security sources said, amid growing unrest over poor basic services.

Demonstrators also blocked the road from the oil hub of Basra to Baghdad to express anger over electricity outages, unemployment and entrenched corruption in the long-neglected south, Iraq’s Shi’ite heartland.

Earlier on Wednesday, security forces sprayed tear gas and fired into the air to try to disperse demonstrators.

The deaths of five protesters in clashes with security forces on Tuesday added to the fury.

Security and health sources said that 22 members of the security forces had been injured in Tuesday’s violence, some by a hand grenade.

On Wednesday frustrations were once again focussed on the provincial governorate building, where thousands of people gathered, throwing stones and trying to break down concrete barriers.

Basra residents say salt seeping into the water supply has made it undrinkable and sent hundreds to hospital. This is proof, they say, that infrastructure has been allowed to collapse in the part of Iraq that produces most of its oil wealth.

Iraq’s second biggest city, Basra is a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shi’ite cleric and former leader of an anti-American sectarian militia who has recast himself as an anti-corruption campaigner.

Public anger has grown at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after an inconclusive parliamentary election in May.

Sadr’s bloc came in first place in the vote, which was tainted by allegations of corruption which forced a recount.

Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed support for the protests.</s>Iraqi security forces sprayed tear gas and fired into the air on Wednesday to try to disperse thousands of protesters in the southern city of Basra. The deaths of five protesters in clashes with security forces on Tuesday added to anger in the oil hub over poor government services, Reuters reports. Like other cities in the long-neglected south, Basra is plagued by electricity outages, unemployment, and entrenched corruption. Security and health sources said that 22 members of the security forces were injured on Tuesday in some of the worst unrest in the region for months. On Wednesday, some protesters tried to break down concrete barriers around the provincial governorate building.
Seven people are killed and more than 30 are injured during a rally in Basra, Iraq after security forces opened fire.