2017 Saturday 18TH
FOLLOWERS of influential Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square yesterday afternoon for a silent demonstration after the death toll from a car bomb attack reached 59.
Mr Sadr called the protest after last weekend’s clashes with police that left five dead.
He is demanding an overhaul of the commission overseeing local elections this year, accusing it of being riddled with corruption.
Thursday’s attack on a car dealership in the al-Bayaa area was claimed yesterday by Isis, which boasted that its fighters had set off bombs in a parked car amid a gathering of Shi’ites in the fifth police district.
In addition to those who died, 66 people were wounded.
Shi’ite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani expressed condolences for the victims’ families, urging those charged with decision-making to recognise “their responsibility to preserve security.”
His comments were delivered at Friday prayers in the holy city of Karbala by his representative Ahmed al-Safi.
Security authorities blocked roads into Tahrir Square yesterday, but there was no heavy security presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment