ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The US-led coalition in Iraq said in a Thursday statement they would reserve the right to defend themselves following a blast earlier this morning in Baghdad’s Green Zone amid escalating unrest nationwide as protesters demand an end to rampant corruption and lack of basic services.
“This morning’s blast in the international zone is under investigation by the Iraqi security forces,” the emailed statement read. ”No coalition facility was struck.”
“We always reserve the right to defend ourselves, attacks on our personnel will not be tolerated,” the statement added.
The statement also revealed that the coalition is monitoring the “deeply concerning” reports of violence at the protests.
“We call on all sides to reduce tensions, and reject violence,” the statement read. “The loss of life and injuries among civilians and Iraqi security forces is deeply concerning.”
Mass protests against corruption, unemployment, and the lack of basic services resumed in Baghdad on Wednesday, with security forces firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
At least 12 protesters have been killed in clashes with Iraqi security forces since protests began on Tuesday, according to the data obtained by Rudaw English from Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) on Wednesday morning. AFP reported a nationwide death toll of nine by 2 am on Thursday morning.
Protests beginning in Baghdad have spread to eight other provinces, IHCHR says, including Iraq’s southern oil-hub of Basra.
More than 400 people have been wounded since the beginning of the protests in Iraq, IHCHR added.
In an order was published by state-owned Iraqi News Agency (INA), Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced a general curfew in Baghdad commencing 5am Baghdad time (+3 GMT) on Thursday. Its end time and date is unknown.
The United Nations, UK and the US have all called for a de-escalation of violence by protesters and security forces in Iraq via official statements made in the past two days.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (UNAMI), met with a number of protesters in Baghdad on Wednesday to call for calm and emphasize the importance of direct dialogue between protesters and Iraq’s leadership.
“The protesters are demanding economic reforms, jobs, reliable public services, accountability, and an end for corruption,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.
“These are legitimate and longstanding demands,” she added. “The use of force will only fuel the anger."
The US embassy in Iraq condemned violence “from any side” in a statement released on Wednesday.
“US embassy in Baghdad continues to monitor recent protests closely,” the statement read. “The right to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right in all democracies, but there is no place for violence in demonstrations from any side.”
The embassy also sent condolences to the families of those killed and urged all sides to “reject violence while exercising restraint.”
Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel advice to UK nationals visiting Iraq, warning of a blockade from central Baghdad to the city’s airport.
“Large protests have been taking place in central Baghdad since 1 October,” it stated on its website. “Iraqi Security Forces have used live ammunition and tear gas against the protesters.”
The US-led coalition has been present in Iraq since 2014 to assist in the war against Islamic State (ISIS). However, calls for an end to their presence by Iraqi parliamentarians have been several times over the course of this year.
The coalition has repeatedly asserted that its presence is “at the invitation of the Government of Iraq.”
The embassy and its Green Zone surroundings have been subject to a number of airborne attacks in recent months, though none have inflicted damage on the premises. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Iraqis have long protested the lack of basic services, particularly a lack of regular drinking water and electricity supply, as well as high rates of unemployment. Mass protests taking place in Basra in the summer of 2018 quickly spread nationwide, killing at least 14.
