APD | Protests continue in Baghdad as death toll rises to 63

By APD writer Muhammad Sohail

Prime Minister of Iraq Abdul Mahdi on Sunday ordered special unit's deployment amid rising death toll in the ongoing protests started on Friday, local media reported.

Tens of dozens of protesters were present in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Sunday challenging a security forces crackdown on protesters that killed at least 63 people over the weekend.

According to the semi-official Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, at least 63 people have been killed in the raid by the security forces to disperse the protestors.

Protestors continued to gather in the capital despite the bloody operation and wowed to continue their campaign until the fall of the complete setup of the government.

Students were also joining demonstrations as they claimed that over a dozen schools and universities had decided to take part in the protests.

The government has deployed Iraq's elite counterterrorism service Sunday to protect important state buildings from the protestors.

According to the reports, security forces opened live fire on thousands of protesters who tried to enter Baghdad's special zone that houses government offices as well as foreign missions.

Iraqi people started protests in early October against economic crunches, but the protests turned deadly and have cost over 190 lives since then.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)