The bloodshed came as the US accused Iran of meddling in Iraq’s turmoil and slapped sanctions on Iran-backed groups for allegedly cracking down on protesters.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Twelve demonstrators were killed and dozens wounded late Friday after unidentified men attacked an anti-government protest camp in Baghdad, marking a new violent turn for the anti-government movement.
The bloodshed came as the US accused Iran of “meddling” in Iraq’s turmoil and slapped sanctions on Iran-backed groups for allegedly cracking down on protesters.
Youth-dominated allies have thronged the Iraqi capital’s main protest camp in Tahrir Square since early October, denouncing the government as corrupt, inept and beholden to Iran.
There were fears this week of a potential spiral into chaos after supporters of the Hashed al-Shaabi security force flexed their muscles by flooding the square.
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On Friday, rallies began peacefully but veered into violence when night fell, witnesses told AFP.
Armed men on pick-up trucks attacked a large building where protesters had been camped out for weeks, forcing them out amid volleys of gunfire.
At least 12 people were shot dead and dozens of others wounded, medics told AFP, expecting the toll could rise further.
Ambulances ferried protesters with gunshot and stab wounds from the building that had been taken over to protest tents fitted out as field clinics, witnesses said.
The new deaths bring the toll to 440 dead and 20,000 wounded since anti-government rallies erupted on 1 October in Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south.
