A wave of anger in Iraq and the accusation of an armed faction of carrying out a "massacre"

POSTED ON [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]A wave of anger in Iraq and the accusation of an armed faction of carrying out a "massacre"[/size]

[size=45]Iraq has witnessed an unprecedented wave of anger caused by the new massacre carried out, on Saturday night, by unknown groups, who are believed to belong to armed factions loyal to Iran, in the areas of al-Sink and al-Khalani, and dozens of dead and wounded, including three photojournalists.
[size=45]Iraq also experienced growing feelings of fear that the country might descend into a wave of internal strife and new levels of violence, in light of the apparent inability of government forces to control the situation and stop the practices of unarmed armed factions, especially after targeting a drone plane that affected the home of the Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr, in the Al-Hanana region, in the Najaf governorate.[/size]
[size=45]The accounts provided by the Iraqi authorities on the one hand, and the demonstrators on the other hand, about what happened in the two areas of Al-Khilani have intersected sharply, even with regard to the numbers of dead and wounded. While official sources reported that 4 people were killed and about twenty wounded, and another spoke of the killing of 7 members of the security forces, most of the accounts issued by the demonstrators confirm the killing of 23 and the injury of more than 100 protesters, at least.[/size]
[size=45]With the exception of the talk of some official speakers about a "quarrel" that occurred between the demonstrators, and caused the fire of the al-Sink garage and the confrontations of the al-Sink and al-Khalani areas, no clarifications were issued by the Iraqi government agencies about what exactly happened, while the protest groups issued many accounts that match their general lines, even if they differ In some details.[/size]
[size=45]The majority of those accounts agree about the planned plan implemented by armed factions in coordination and cooperation sometimes with the official authorities to influence the demonstration arenas and to break up the sit-ins, in the area between Tahrir Square and Al-Senak Bridge, and not to allow them to extend to the streets and proximity to the Central Bank of Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The protest groups also agree that the process of hitting the demonstrators was aimed at blocking the million-dollar demonstration planned by the protesters, during which all the protest activities in the rest of the uprising provinces will be held on the tenth of this month.[/size]
[size=45]One of these accounts about the nature of what happened in Al-Sanak and Al-Khulani indicates that government agencies colluded with armed factions, by deliberately cutting the electrical current in Al-Sanak Square and its garage, in preparation for the passage of the militants ’cars in front of the checkpoints without accountability or follow-up, despite the possession of the Ministry of Interior Cameras monitor the entrances and exits of all the capital's streets. While the Baghdad Operations Command blamed the demonstrators for their refusal to have the security forces near the sit-in areas, and implicitly held them responsible for what happened, protest groups say: "The failure of the security forces to intervene until the massacre ended and the withdrawal of all militants is evidence of a prior agreement between the two sides."[/size]
[size=45]As for the activist Alaa Al-Baghdadi, he explicitly held the Hezbollah brigades responsible for the killings against the demonstrators, and ruled out the involvement of the other factions of the popular crowd in what happened.[/size]
[size=45]"Two days ago, groups affiliated with (the Hezbollah Brigades) entered the Tahrir Square under the pretext of defending the Marjaiya, and they raised banners against America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and some signs defending Sistani," wrote al-Baghdadi, who is close to the Sadr movement, on his Facebook page. He added that they raised a banner reading “Al-Khal, which is the same sign that was hung on the façade of the garage of the Senk, and the uncle is the coded term that individuals (Hezbollah Brigades) circulate among them, and it symbolizes (Qasim Soleimani), and also they call it to their leaders.”[/size]
[size=45]And Baghdad notes that "the (Khal) gangs stationed to the left of the Nation Garden, near the street near Al-Bataween, and tried to erect some tents."[/size]
[size=45]He maintains that he made direct contact with the Peace Brigades and some elements of the Hezbollah Brigades, to prevent a massacre, and indeed they were expelled from Tahrir Square peacefully. He points out that the goal of the brigades "was to station and ditch in the square, as a first step to defection between the masses and to break and end the sit-in, after controlling the Turkish restaurant, the bridges of the Republic, al-Sanak and Al-Ahrar."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Baghdadi pointed out that, after "this failed attempt, and after the important slap that was directed at them from the reference, when it prevented the use of its name and pictures as an excuse to participate in the demonstrations, they carried out a massacre as a second attempt to finish off the sit-in, after some of their members went up to (Garage Al-Sanak)" And raising the banner (the uncle), as a sign of their presence, and also as a directive to their fans by setting the zero hour for their massacre, and storming Tahrir Square.[/size]
[size=45]And al-Baghdadi’s account corresponds to many accounts that protesters spoke about regarding the “uncle” sign, which was placed on the garage of al-Sink, and those accounts related to the effective role that the owners of “blue hats” played in protecting protesters from a larger massacre that would have happened on Saturday night, had it not been for them to confront the attacking group and protect people . Yesterday, social expressions of thanks to the blue hats owners, groups linked to the al-Sadr movement, have been active since the first day of the demonstrations, and their tasks have been linked to providing logistical support and protection to the protesters and demonstrators.[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, monitors considered that the leader of the Sadrist movement was bombed by a drone, yesterday, indicating a strong warning message sent to him by the factions linked to Iran and disturbed by the effective role played by his followers in the protest movement.[/size]


[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[/size][/size]