Iraqi Forces Kill 28 Protesters in Baghdad, Nassiriya

A day after Iraqi protesters set fire to the Iranian Consulate in Najaf, Iraqi security forces killed at least 28 protesters on Thursday. At least 24 people blocking a bridge in the oil-rich province of Nassiriya were shot dead and 165 were wounded when security forces opened fire on them. Security and medical officials report that four anti-corruption demonstrators were killed and 22 were injured near Baghdad’s Ahrar Bridge, which leads to the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government. Iraqi authorities set up “crisis cells” in a number of locations across Iraq in a bid to restore order, a military statement said on Thursday. Since October 1, when anti-government protests erupted in Baghdad and Iraq’s southern regions, more than 370 protesters have been killed.