Security forces were heavily deployed around main government buildings and religious institutions on Thursday morning. The consulate attack comes after days of sit-ins and road closures with protesters cutting access to main thoroughfares and bridges with burning tires. Security forces moved in late Wednesday to open the main thoroughfare. ADIn Basra, security forces were deployed in the city’s main roads to prevent protesters from staging sit-ins, with instructions to arrest demonstrators if they tried to block roads. Protesters had brought traffic in the oil-rich province to a halt for days by burning tires and barricading roads.

Source: Washington Post November 28, 2019 07:22 UTC