Photos: A second round of Iraqi protests dig in against the regime

Iraqi protesters converged on the central square in the capital Baghdad as security forces erected blast walls to prevent them from reaching a heavily fortified government area after a day of violence that killed scores. The protestors have continued to gather despite a rapidly rising casualty toll, with more than 60 people dead since the second wave of anti-government protests kicked off Thursday. Government officials including Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi have suggested more than a dozen reforms, but demonstrators seem unimpressed.

Updated on: Oct 28, 2019 12:09 PM IST

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Anti-government protesters gather in Tahrir square during a demonstration in Baghdad. Hundreds of protesters hunkered down in the Iraqi capital’s Tahrir Square on Sunday, defying another night of tear gas and shuttered roads as they pledged to “weed out” the political class. (AP)

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Women mourn over the coffin of a demonstrator, reportedly killed the day before during anti-government protests in the eastern city of Diwaniya, during his funeral in Najaf. The protestors have continued to gather despite a rapidly rising casualty toll, with more than 60 people dead since this second wave of anti-government protests kicked off Thursday. (AFP)

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“We’re here to bring down the whole government -- to weed them all out!” one protester said, the Iraqi tricolour wrapped around his head. Government officials including Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi have suggested more than a dozen reforms, but demonstrators seem unimpressed. “We don’t want a single one of them. Not Halbussi, not Abdel Mahdi. We want to bring down the regime,” the protester said. (Thaier Al-Sudani / REUTERS)

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The scene at Tahrir was chaotic, with some protesters climbing atop multistorey business centres to wave Iraqi flags and others torching tyres in rubbish-littered streets. (Thaier Al-Sudani / REUTERS)

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Large tents had been set up and volunteers were distributing food and water to demonstrators. Two elderly women in traditional black robes and head scarves hopped up on a concrete barrier and waved the Iraqi flag. “I’m here for the generation that’s coming,” said one young woman who identified herself as a prenatal nurse. “Our generation is psychologically tired, but it’s alright as long as this is for the next one,” she said. (Hadi Mizban / AP)

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Security forces fire tear gas and close the bridge leading to the Green Zone. Security forces were positioned on the edges of Tahrir, while elite Counter-Terrorism Service troops and armoured vehicles were seen in surrounding districts. The CTS said it had deployed its units to “protect vital infrastructure,” and its forces were not seen in Tahrir. (Hadi Mizban / AP)

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A tuk-tuk drives away from tear gas fired by Iraqi security forces. The persistent protests have kept the pressure up on Abdel Mahdi, as has a new sit-in by parliamentarians tied to populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. His Saeroon bloc, parliament’s largest, launched the open-ended measure late on Saturday in order to achieve protester demands, lawmakers told AFP. (Thaier Al-Sudani / REUTERS)