Angry Iraqis Protest Killing Of Six Civilians

They distributed a tract demanding that the killers, whether British soldiers or U.S.-appointed Iraqi policemen, be arrested and that the city elects a new governor, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

At least six Iraqis were killed and 11 wounded Saturday, January 10, when Iraqi police and British forces opened fire on around 500 Iraqis protesting hollow promises of creating job opportunities.

"Amara was neglected under Saddam Hussein. Today, we suffer at the hands of his sons [the U.S.-led occupation forces]," said Saadun Ahmed Sarai, 49.

"They make so many promises but no one keeps their word," added Alaa Bahajai.

Amara, 365 kilometers (225 miles) southeast of Baghdad, has generally been far quieter than central Iraq, where Iraqi resistance fighters have waged a relentless campaign against U.S. forces.

A joint U.N./World Bank report issued in October put the number of unemployed and underemployed people in Iraq at 50 percent of the 26 million population, Reuters said.

The laying-off of the Iraqi army, the dissolution of the defense, interior and information ministries left up to five million Iraqis unemployed.

However, economic experts told the London-based Al-Quds Press news agency that as commercial, industrial and agricultural activities were brought to a halt by the occupation, another five million joined the unemployment line .

The unemployment crisis has been one of many driving forces behind anti-occupation demonstrations across Iraq.

More than 5,000 Iraqi army officers and personnel staged a demonstration Monday, May 26, protesting the decision.

On Monday, June 9, the Democratic Workers Union in Basra slammed the employment of Asian workers by the U.S. companies operating in Iraq — Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) — at a time that unemployment was showing its ugly face.

Inquiry

British forces in Iraq are examining the events that led to the deaths of the Iraqi civilians.

The BBC learnt that the investigation was focusing on who fired the first shot, and the chain of events that led to the deaths.

However, the British Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that Iraqi police believed they were shot at during the protest and returned fire, while British troops were deployed to help them.

"One, maybe two, (of the dead) were possibly killed by British troops," British army spokesman Major Tim Smith told Reuters Sunday.

"Those troops were firing in self-defense. It was quite clear that a number of objects were thrown at the British troops, possibly grenades. I can assure everybody that they only fired in self-defense," he argued.