At least 28 people were injured in protests in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on the third anniversary of the October protests, said Iraqi security media Saturday. In a statement, the Iraqi security authorities affirmed that nine civilians and 19 officers and security service members who were assigned to protecting the demonstrators were injured in Saturday's protests. Earlier Saturday, hundreds of Iraqis demonstrated in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on the third anniversary of the October protests amid tight security. Iraq witnessed on October 2019 the largest protests in the country forcing the government of the former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign. The Iraqi News Agency (INA) stated that the demonstrators raised Iraqi flags and chanted slogans against financial and administrative corruption and political quotas. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi called on the demonstrators to adhere to peace and cooperate with the security forces to protect the state institutions and public and private properties. Whereas, the Iraqi security services monitored some members from the demonstrator's used Molotov cocktails, hunting rifles and ammunition against the security forces. Protesters tried to infiltrate several barriers set up by security forces in anticipation of the rallies. Rock throwers faced off with security personnel armed with teargas canisters and stun grenades near the iconic Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, the epicenter of the 2019 protests. Medical and security sources told the Reuters news agency that the scuffles left many people wounded, some of whom belonging to the security forces. Some protests were also reported in the provinces of Basra and Nasiriyah. This year's protest anniversary comes at a turbulent time in Iraq, with tension between its rival Shiite blocs bringing the state to the brink of a civil war on more than one occasion. Protesters revived the 2019's renowned chants saying "the people demand the fall of the regime." They gathered first at Al-Jumhouriya Bridge, which connects Tahrir Square to the fortified Green Zone, where the country's governing buildings and diplomatic missions are located. The anniversary of the mass 2019 protests come this year amid significantly eased COVID-19 restrictions, for the first time since the initial anti-corruption rallies. — Agencies
