But after security forces responded with live bullets and tear gas, protests spread across southern Iraq and grew violent. During early rallies, demonstrators held images of Abdul-Wahab Al-Saadi, a counter-terrorism chief who became a national hero for his key role in defeating Islamic State in 2017 but who had since been demoted. Although the protests have mainly been in areas dominated by Shiite Muslims, who form the majority in Iraq, political analysts say this isn’t a sectarian uprising. Why is the sectarian system a target? The World Bank estimates the cost of reconstruction in the seven provinces affected by the war with Islamic State at $90 billion over five years.

Source: Washington Post November 29, 2019 18:56 UTC