Demonstrators blocked the Baghdad-Kirkuk highway rejecting the results of the elections
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, demonstrators blocked the Baghdad-Kirkuk highway in protest against the election results and in solidarity with the protesters near the heavily-fortified Green Zone in the center of Baghdad's capital.
Shafaq News Agency correspondent reported that the demonstrators expressed their rejection of the "fraudulent" election results, which confiscated their votes.
Violent confrontations broke out between the demonstrators and the security forces in the vicinity of the Green Zone when the popular gathering tried to storm the Green Zone. The security forces prevented them by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.
The clashes resulted in one dead and hundreds of injuries from the security forces and the demonstrators.
Earlier today, The "Preparatory Committee" for the demonstrations rejecting the election results in Baghdad and the governorates held Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, the head of the Counter-Terrorism Agency, Lieutenant-General Abdul-Wahab Al-Saadi, and the commander of the Special Force in charge of protecting embassies and diplomatic missions in the Green Zone, Major General Hamid Al-Zuhairi, responsible for yesterday's "massacre in the capital, Baghdad.
In a statement, the Committee said, "the fraud in the results of the recent legislative elections under the supervision of Al-Kadhimi and with the implementation of the Commission and the evil state of the Emirates, has led to popular rejection by sit-ins and peaceful demonstrations in nine governorates."
However, "those involved in fraud and those behind them did not listen to the voice of truth but went against the peaceful demonstration by giving orders to fire live bullets at demonstrators in Baghdad," according to the statement.
The statement held Al-Kadhimi, Al-Saadi, and Al-Zuhairi responsible for killing and wounding dozens of the demonstrators.
Earlier this morning, the Joint Operations Command, the highest-level authority in the Iraqi army, reported that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces directed to form a committee that includes members of the Popular Mobilization Forces to investigate the bloody events near the heavily-fortified Green Zone.
In a statement, the Command said that the Committee started its investigations to uncover the circumstances and repercussions that led to the deaths and injuries of demonstrators and security forces and to hold the abusers accountable for "neglecting and violating the orders of the Commander in Chief not to fire live bullets under any circumstances."
The statement indicated that Al-Kadhimi "also ordered to compensate the victims and to personally supervise the investigation work to achieve the right of the victims, who are all of our Iraqi people, and we love them."
Meanwhile, at dawn today, Saturday, a high-level government delegation visited the Secretary-General of the "Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq" Movement, Qais Khazali, to "contain the situation after the bloody Friday in Baghdad.
A statement issued by Khazali's office said that the visit aims to discuss the "ongoing efforts to form a committee of the security forces and PMF to investigate yesterday's massacre," pledging to him the seriousness of investigation in "uncovering those involved in these heinous attacks. ".
In turn, al-Khazali stressed the "importance of maintaining the relationship between the Popular Mobilization Forces and their brothers in the other security services, that it will not be affected by the illegal actions of political and military figures."
The crisis erupted between the demonstrators opposed to the election results and the security forces in Baghdad when the demonstrators decided to storm the area, which resulted in victims and hundreds of wounded of the two sides.
