Southern Iraq paralyzes after a bloody day

Shafaq News/ Most roads were blocked on Wednesday , government departments and schools in southern Iraq were closed after a bloody day in the country, which has been the scene of the worst unrest in recent months.

In this country, one of the world's most oil-rich countries and also one of the most corrupt, demonstrators have been demanding since October 1 to reform the political system and completely change their ruling class they consider corrupt. The protests were the first to emerge spontaneously in decades and have witnessed violence that killed more than 350 people since they began.

On Tuesday night, after hours of violence for the first time during the day in Karbala city and the use of live bullets, which led to deaths, according to medical sources, the authorities responsible for the management of religious thresholds announced the closure of all children's religious schools in the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf in addition to Hilla city, the capital of Babylon province located east of Karbala.

Black smoke raised from Karbala, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad with millions of Shi'ite Muslims visiting the country every year.

Protesters continued to cut off a large number of roads in the city center and at its entrances, leading to blocking a main road leading to Babylon province, where the protests during the past two days witnessed violence that left about 100 wounded, mostly by tear gas fired by security forces, according to medical sources.

Diwaniya city, which topped the wave of protests south of Karbala, witnessed the same situation as government departments and schools were closed, demonstrators blocked most roads with burning tires to prevent employees from reaching their workplace, and security forces withdrew to avoid confrontations.According France Press.

Government departments and schools in cities of Kut, Basra, Hilla and Najaf were closed and sit-ins continued without violence.

Protests continued in Basra and Nasiriyah, where major fields of black gold, the main supplier of the country's budget, are located. Protesters protested at the state oil company Dhi Qar east of Nasiriyah, but work continued in the oil fields located in both provinces.

While demonstrations continued in Baghdad, the main center of protests in the country, where demonstrators wearing helmets and covering their faces with thin shawls to avoid tear gas fired by security forces behind the walls of cement.

The protests in Baghdad came after a tumultuous night in the symbolic Tahrir Square in the center of the capital for celebrations in which thousands of Iraqis participated in the victory of their football team against Qatar in the framework of the Gulf Cup qualifiers