Shafaq News – Basra

Interior Ministry fact-finding committee on Friday launched field investigations in Basra, southern Iraq, after security forces allegedly assaulted protesters in the Al-Sharsh area, injuring seven people, a source told Shafaq News.

The source noted that the committee visited the council of Sheikh Hadi Al-Shallal, a tribal leader in the Al-Sharsh area, where it heard testimonies from injured protesters about the incident and those involved.

On December 10, riot police dispersed demonstrations by residents of the Al-Sharsh area in Al-Qurnah district, pursuing protesters along the main road and side streets, according to video footage recorded at the scene.

Residents of the Al-Sharsh area protested earlier this month over a worsening water salinity crisis that has fueled disease outbreaks, devastated agriculture, and killed large numbers of livestock. Basra province continues to face severe salinity and pollution linked to water shortages and climate change.

Read more: Basra’s lifeline poisoned: Salinity and pollution threaten Iraq’s south