Al-Kadhimi bans using rubber bullets and lachrymators against demonstrators on Saturday

Shafaq News/ The Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, banned the use of rubber bullets and tear gas against demonstrators gathering today, Saturday, on the anniversary of October protests, a leaked confidential correspondence released by his bureau said.

Al-Kadhimi, as displayed by the document, instructed the security forces to thoroughly search the demonstrators to make sure that none carries a weapon during the gathering.

Commanders, according to the document, shall attend in person in the field, and troops should be heavily deployed at the entrances of the demonstration squares and near government buildings.

As the Iraqi political quagmire heads toward the end of its first year, Iraq gears up to hold large demonstrations on 1 October in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad to commemorate the third anniversary of the 2019 October protests, in which hundreds were killed , and thousands were wounded.

Demonstrators, mostly of the younger generations, had camped out in the capital's Tahrir Square and other public squares from October 2019 until early 2020, decrying endemic corruption, poor services, and unemployment.

Over 600 people died as security forces and militias used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign and replaced by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister of the incumbent Iraqi caretaker government.