America issues a strong stance to the Iraqi government and political leaders on the protests
The United States government on Wednesday called on the federal government and Iraqi political leaders to “react urgently” and “seriously” to the demands of citizens demanding reform, condemning the killing and kidnapping of unarmed protesters.
The US government issued a statement on the ongoing violence in Iraq, saying that “the United States is always interested in supporting a secure, prosperous and capable Iraq that can defend its people against violent extremist groups and deter those who undermine its sovereignty and democracy.”
The statement added that “as the world follows the development of events in Iraq, it is clear that the Iraqi government and political leaders to urgently and seriously interact with the Iraqi citizens demanding reform, there is no future for Iraq to suppress the will of its people.”
The statement condemned “the killing and abduction of unarmed protesters and the threat of freedom of expression and the cycle of violence,” noting that “Iraqis must be free to make their own decisions about the future of their country.”
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “The Iraqi and Lebanese people want their countries back. They discover that the Iranian regime’s highest exports are corruption, disguised as a revolution.”
“Both Iraq and Lebanon deserve to run their own affairs free from Khamenei’s interference,” he said.
The capital Baghdad and the central and southern Euphrates provinces are witnessing demonstrations launched since early October and resumed again on 25 of the same month in protest against the deterioration of living and service conditions, the spread of unemployment, and financial and administrative corruption in the state institutions and departments.
Demands have risen to topple the government and parliament, and the removal of all parties involved in the political process since 2003, until now after violence and repression of protesters, which left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
Protesters in several predominantly Shiite cities, including the capital Baghdad, have launched a general strike by cutting off vital roads and government departments in a move to increase pressure on the judiciary, legislative and executive authorities and political parties and ruling forces to implement the demands of the demonstrators