4 dead, tents ablaze after Iraq cleric pulls protest support Iraqi officials and activists say security forces have cracked down on anti-government protesters, leaving four deadBAGHDAD -- Iraq cracked down on anti-government protesters who have been occupying key public squares for months, leaving four demonstrators dead Saturday in a country reeling from political turmoil and violence. Activists said the presence of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's followers and his militia group had shielded the protesters. In Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the anti-government protest movement in Baghdad, protesters said they were fearful of what would come next. He also accused them of being “foreign paid tools.”But spokesperson Sheikh Salah al-Obaidi said al-Sadr's followers “will be neutral, not with them or against them." “The protest square is now controlled (by the security forces), after they used force,” activist Nakeeb Lueibi said.

Source: ABC News January 25, 2020 09:27 UTC