Iraqi security and medical officials say protesters have pushed closer to the Green Zone, Baghdad’s fortified seat of government, after security forces pulled back following a night of violent altercations.
The officials said Saturday that protesters took control of the strategic Khilani Square and part of Sinak bridge leading to the Green Zone, which houses Parliament and several foreign embassies.
Security forces are still deployed on part of the bridge in order to block the protesters from pushing into the Green Zone.
A protester sits at the site of a bomb attack near Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. On Friday, a bomb placed under a car exploded near the epicenter of anti-government protests in the capital, killed and wounded protesters, police and hospital officials said. (AP PhotoHadi Mizban)
Officials say a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded 18 late Friday near Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement. Another roadside blast in the southern city of Nassiriya wounded 18 that same evening.
The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
A damaged vehicle sits at the site of a bomb attack near Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. On Friday, a bomb placed under a car exploded near the epicenter of anti-government protests in the capital, killed and wounded protesters, police and hospital officials said. (AP PhotoAli Abdul Hassan)