Mahdi’s fate in limbo

Iraqi security forces killed two people yesterday by shooting tear gas canisters directly into their heads in an attempt to stop protesters entering Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, security and medical sources said.

At least 175 people were wounded as protesters from across Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic divides thronged the centre of the capital in a show of fury at a political elite they see as deeply corrupt and responsible for widespread economic hardship. Initially festive street rallies took a violent turn by nightfall when a group of protesters tried to storm a bridge leading to the Green Zone.

A rocket was seen flying towards the Green Zone and a blast was heard coming from that direction. The area houses government buildings and foreign missions. The military said the rocket had crashed inside, killing a member of the security forces.

Iraq’s most powerful politicians appeared to withhold support for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi as anti-government protests have swelled into the biggest mass demonstrations the country has seen since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein.