A series of killings targeting protesters in Iraq sparked both fear and anger. In Basra, two activists were killed in a week. The government did not live up to its promises to prevent these attacks.
Iraqi protesters torched the local parliament office and clashed with security forces in the southern city of Basra on Friday night.
The demonstrators had gathered outside the building to demand the resignation of Basra Governor Asad al-Eidani after two prominent activists were shot in the city in the past week.
The protesters burned the outer gate of the complex's entrance as they decried inaction by the government.
On Wednesday, 19 August, a young female activist named Reham Yacoub was assassinated by gunmen while driving in her car. Yacoub was a doctor and activist in the local protest movement since 2018. She was shot by an assault rifle-brandishing gunman on the back of a motorcycle. Three women in the car at the time were wounded, one died later.
Al-Kadhimi took office in April, becoming the third Iraqi head of government in a chaotic 10-week period that followed months of deadly protests in the country, which has been exhausted by decades of sanctions, war, corruption and economic challenges.
Al-Kadhimi is currently on an official visit to the United States to conclude strategic talks expected to shape the future of US-Iraq relations, and the future of the US troop presence in the country.
