Security forces shot dead 40 anti-government protesters during 24 hours of bloodshed amid spiraling violence in the capital and Iraq’s south, security and medical officials said Thursday, one day after an Iranian consulate was torched. Security forces shot four protesters dead in Baghdad and wounded 22 when they tried to cross the important Ahrar Bridge leading to the nearby Green Zone, the heavily fortified seat of Iraq’s government. AdvertisementThe deaths came after a day after protesters burned the Iranian consulate in Najaf. At least 350 people have been killed by security forces, which routinely use live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds. Security forces were heavily deployed around main government buildings and religious institutions Thursday morning.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 28, 2019 22:41 UTC