A member of the Iraqi anti-riot police stands guard as dozens shout slogans and wave national flags during a demonstration outside the local government headquarters in the southern city of Basra on Friday. Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pledged to take action against “infiltrators” who “exploited” protests on Friday.
Authorities will pursue “small and organized groups who try to exploit the peaceful demonstrations of citizens to sabotage and attack state institutions and private property,” read a statement from Abadi’s office on Saturday morning.
The statement was issued after a National Security meeting chaired by Abadi who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
“Our forces will take necessary measures against infiltrators and pursue them in accordance with the law,” it added.
Iraq has seen a growing wave of protests since the beginning of July when temperatures topped 50 degrees Celsius in some Iraqi provinces, especially southern-most Basra.
On Friday, protests that originated earlier this week in Basra spread north, with demonstrators demanding more jobs and better electricity and water services. At least one person was killed in Maysan province and dozens were injured.
The official unemployment rate in Iraq is 10.8 percent, but figures double among the country’s large youth population. Nearly 59 percent of Iraq’s population is under the age of 25.
Abadi flew into Basra to meet with local civil and security officials. His visit did little to appease protesters who mobbed the hotel he had stayed at. He had already departed before the crowds arrived.
In Najaf, protesters took over the international airport, destroying equipment and temporarily disrupting flights.
Jawad al-Karawi, head of the airport’s administrative council, blamed officials and politicians of trying to economically harm the airport in a statement issued late on Friday.
“The conspiracy engineers of some of the government officials and political parties that have economic goals and have sought to economically control Najaf Airport for two consecutive years, sent saboteurs to enter the airport and sabotage equipment, causing chaos and closure of the airport,” read the statement published on the airport’s official Facebook page on Saturday.
Karawi held the governor and security forces responsible, claiming they “did not remove the occupants.”
Flights have resumed, though Kuwait Airways announced on Friday that they were suspending flights to Najaf “until further notice because of the current security conditions at Najaf airport.”
Flights between Najaf and Iran’s Mashad have also been temporarily suspended until further notice, IRNA news reported.
The holy city of Najaf is a popular destination for Shiite pilgrims.
Security is tight in Basra on Saturday morning with a large number of forces out on the streets, Rudaw’s Mustafa Goran in Basra reported.
Protesters temporarily forced the closure of Iraq’s Safwan border crossing with Kuwait. The crossing was reopened after over an hour.
The situation in Basra city is calm at the moment. Protests usually swell after dusk when temperatures drop slightly.
Tribal leaders in Basra reportedly rejected a request from Abadi to help stem the public unrest. The community leaders had reportedly been warned by protesters not to side with the government.
Influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has expressed support for the protesters, is expected to send a delegation to Basra on Saturday to monitor the situation.
Internet was cut or slowed in some Iraqi provinces overnight. It had returned to normal by Saturday morning.
The communication ministry said the disruption in service was due to technical issues and unrelated to the protests.
Oil-rich Basra is a major export centre. Protesters have targeted crucial sites in the province – blocking routes to oil fields and access to a shipping port.
The protests were a factor in an approximate one percent rise in oil prices on Friday.
“Persistently declining oil supplies from Venezuela and simmering strike actions in Norway and Iraq are prompting bullish sentiment,” according to Abhishek Kumar, senior energy analyst at Interfax Energy in London, Reuters reported.
Updated at 2:38 pm
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