Six die in Iraq protests

13 April 2012

British troops were today attempting to restore calm after a weekend of violence in the southern Iraqi town of al Amara, which left six people dead and 11 wounded.

Police and soldiers opened fire on demonstrators on Saturday, saying the crowds threw grenades and stones after a protest over unemployment turned violent.

The weekend was one of the bloodiest in months for British troops who have established a peaceful occupation in southern Iraq in contrast to that experienced by the Americans further north.

A British Army spokesman insisted they had shot in "self defence" and said efforts were now under way to maintain calm.

The protests follow one in Basra by former members of Saddam's military demanding promised wages. A joint UN/World Bank report put the number of unemployed in Iraq at 50 per cent of the country's 26 million population. Of those, some 400,000 are soldiers.

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