At least 26 killed after Iraqi forces clash with Sunni protesters: sources

[Bosonic]

Last edited Tue Apr 23, 2013, 05:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

At least 26 people were killed on Tuesday when Iraqi forces and Sunni Muslim protesters clashed after troops raided their anti-government demonstration camp near Kirkuk, military sources said.

The exchange of gunfire left six troops and 20 protesters dead during a confused raid on the camp in Hawija town, at least three military sources in the area told Reuters.

The ministry of defense said in a statement that troops responded after coming under fire from gunmen in the camp, without giving casualty figures. But demonstrators said protesters were unarmed when troops opened fire.

Thousands of Sunni Muslims have protested weekly since December in several Iraqi provinces to demand an end to perceived marginalization of their sect by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/23/us-iraq-protests-idUSBRE93M07D20130423

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. It now says 26 dead in the Reuters article

At least 26 people were killed when Iraqi security forces stormed a Sunni Muslim anti-government protest camp near Kirkuk on Tuesday, starting a gun battle between troops and protesters, local officials and military sources said.

Iraq's defense ministry had no official death toll and said troops responded after coming under fire from gunmen in the makeshift camp in a public square in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km (100 miles) north of the capital.

Protest leaders said they were unarmed when security forces opened fire during the early morning raid.

Demonstrators and local officials gave conflicting accounts of the number of casualties but at least three military sources said six troops and 20 demonstrators were killed in the clashes.

[Eugene]

2. Clashes at Sunni Protest Site in Iraq Kill 33

Source: New York Times

Clashes at Sunni Protest Site in Iraq Kill 33

By TIM ARANGO
Published: April 23, 2013

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces stormed a Sunni protest encampment in a village near the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, prompting clashes between government forces and gunmen that left dozens dead and wounded and sharply raised the stakes in Iraq’s sectarian troubles.

As of midday, according to security officials in Kirkuk, at least 33 civilians were dead, and nearly 100 people wounded. The Ministry of Defense said that 20 people it described as gunmen were killed, and 75 others arrested. The ministry said three soldiers were killed and nine others wounded.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/world/middleeast/clashes-at-sunni-protest-site-in-iraq.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. The Shia-Sunni clash seems to be engulfing the whole region.

Both the Iraqi and Syrian civil wars are largely driven by sectarianism.

And then you have Hezbollah and Iran, and substantial Shia populations in the Gulf States, lined up against the Sunni Gulf sheikdoms.

And the sectarian storm in Pakistan, with mosque and market bombings being traded back and forth.

And we want to get in the middle of this?

[Bosonic]

4. 125 killed in bloody two days for Iraq

125 killed in bloody two days for Iraq

(AFP)

BAGHDAD — Two days of violence in Iraq have killed 125 people, 99 of them in clashes and attacks involving security forces, protesters and their supporters, officials said on Wednesday.

At least 268 people have been wounded, 194 of them in protest-related unrest, which prompted two Sunni ministers to quit and has sent tensions in the country soaring.

The violence, which began with clashes at a protest site in northern Iraq after security forces moved in, is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that erupted in Sunni Muslim areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago.

The protesters have called for the resignation of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and railed against the alleged targeting of their community by the authorities.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jjQq6NWJazssNweAfV2-PlYbdaMA?docId=CNG.a3421d66169debccde17d05fb64a9837.3d1

[Marrah_G]

5. There will probably never be peace in the middle east

As long as religion has an iron grip on the people they will continue to kill each other for not believing the correct way.