The Al-Habboubi Square attack was a violent conflict between members of the

Sadrist Movement The Sadrist Movement ( ar, التيار الصدري ') is an Iraqi Islamic national movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr. The movement draws wide support from across Iraqi society and especially from the Shi'a poor in the country. The most important ...

and anti-government protesters on November 27, 2020. Located in

Al-Habboubi Square Al-Habboubi Square ( ar, ساحة الحبوبي) is a public square and roundabout in central Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. ...

, Nasiriyah,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, the conflict was one of many violent uprisings in the

2019–2021 Iraqi protests The 2019–2021 Iraqi protests were a series of protests in Iraq consisting of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and civil disobedience. It started on 1October 2019, a date which was set by civil activists on social media, spreading mainly over ...

Attack

According to the

Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of democratic transitions in the Middle East through analysis, advocacy, and action. Mission TIMEP’s mission, through i ...

, the attack was preceded by a social media post by Muhammed Saleh al-Iraqi, a social media mouthpiece for al-Sadr, telling Sadrists to "cleanse" Al-Habboubi Square of anti-government protesters. On Friday, November 27, 2020, supporters of Iraqi Shia politician

Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr ( ar, مقتدى الصدر, Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi politician and militia leader. He is the leader of the Sadrist Movement and the leader of the Peace Companies, a successor to the militia he had p ...

gathered in

Tahrir Square Tahrir Square ( ar, ميدان التحرير ', , English: Liberation Square), also known as "Martyr Square", is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations in Cai ...

to demonstrate support for al-Sadr. After completing

Friday prayers In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

at noon, the group marched to

, which was already occupied by an encampment of anti-government protesters. It is unclear whether the anti-government protesters aggravated al-Sadr's supporters. Reports by ''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

'' suggest that the anti-government protesters were being peaceful, while ''

AP News The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

'' alleged the protesters camping in Al-Habboubi Square blocked the march, at which point the Sadrists opened fire on the campers. Multiple sources reported that al-Sadr's supporters shot at the protesters, threw

petrol bombs A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fla ...

into the encampment, and burned the campers' tents. The protesters retaliated, and the violence continued into Friday evening. The Tahrir Institute claimed that Saraya al-Salam, Sadr's militia, was behind the attacks, though this was not confirmed by most major news outlets. ''

GardaWorld GardaWorld Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with 120,000 employees as of January 2022. GardaWorld International Protective Services, the international division of the company, began operations ...

'' reported about 60 injuries and 6 deaths, while ''

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

'' reported at least 51 wounded and 8 deaths. Local authorities placed a curfew in Nasiriyah following the protests, with nearby locations also enforcing security measures. Middle East news outlets '' The National'' and ''Al-Forat News'' reported Iraqi Prime Minister

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat ( ar, مصطفى عبد اللطيف مشتت; born 5 July 1967), known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi, alternatively spelt Mustafa al-Kadhimy, is an Iraqi politician, lawyer and bureaucrat and former intelligence officer who ...

dismissed the police chief of the

Dhi Qar Governorate Dhi Qar Governorate ( ar, ذي قار, translit=Thi Qār, ) is a governorate in southern Iraq. The provincial capital is Nasiriyah. Prior to 1976 the governorate was known as Muntafiq Governorate. Thi Qar was the heartland of the ancient Iraqi civ ...

, Major Hazim Mohammed Al-Waily, after allegations that he failed to intervene in the attacks. The Tahrir Institute reported that both al-Sadr and Saleh al-Iraqi praised the attacks, accusing anti-government protesters of being "foreign agents" and calling them derogatory names. On November 30, 2020, ''The National'' reported that security forces were being instated in the area, and anti-government protesters were rebuilding their encampment.

References

Dhi Qar Governorate War in Iraq (2013–2017) by year November 2020 events in Iraq Protests in Iraq 2020 protests Riots and civil disorder in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2020 {{Iraq-hist-stub

Attack

See also

References