Iraqi rallies demand improved services
Thousands of Iraqis have held demonstrations across Iraq to call for better distribution of the country’s wealth and improvement of basic services.
Protesters responded to a call by Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to take to the streets after Friday prayers.
"We are protesting against the government that did not fulfill its promises. This time they must meet these demands. We will keep protesting each Friday until they respond," Reuters quoted one of the protesters in the southern city of Basra as saying.
More than 10,000 people also rallied in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad to protest against 'the poor economic progress' in Iraq.
Similar demonstrations took place in the southern cities of Najaf, Basra and Hilla.
More than eight years after the US-led invasion of the country, many Iraqis remain deeply frustrated by government performance and alleged corruption.
Protesters also called for the full withdrawal of US troops in Iraq by the end of 2011, as required under a 2008 security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.
Daily bombing attacks, roadside bombs, and shootings have been common in the war-torn country since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Civilians and security forces are killed and wounded on an almost daily basis.
Over one million Iraqis have been killed since 2003 in the US-led war and occupation, according to the California-based Project Censored.
Source: presstv.ir
