Widespread anti-government protests continue in Iraq

For two days, anti-government protesters decrying corruption and a lack of jobs and services have hit the streets in cities across Iraq, clashing with security forces.

At least seven people have been killed and hundreds injured, with police firing tear gas and live ammunition in Baghdad. A curfew is in effect in several cities, with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi saying in Baghdad, "all vehicles and individuals are totally forbidden to move" starting at 5 a.m. local time Thursday, with exceptions for people traveling to certain jobs and places.

These are the largest demonstrations to take place in Iraq since the prime minister took office in 2018, BBC News reports. Iraq's interior ministry said rioters are trying to "undermine the true meaning of the [protesters'] demands and strip them of peacefulness." Mahdi on Tuesday said he will launch an investigation in order to "learn the reasons" behind the protests, and promised to create more jobs for new graduates. The World Bank estimates that the country's youth unemployment rate is about 25 percent.

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