Baghdad seals off Green Zone after protests: Government source

AFP , Wednesday 2 Oct 2019

Iraq
Demonstrators disperse as Iraqi security forces use tear gas during a protest over unemployment, corruption and poor public services, in Baghdad, Iraq October 2, 2019. REUTERS

Iraqi authorities on Wednesday sealed off the central Green Zone just four months after its celebrated opening, a government source told AFP, in response to widespread protests in the capital.

Security forces and military vehicles have been deployed around the area, which hosts government offices and embassies, "until further notice", the source said.

The Green Zone had been inaccessible for most Iraqis since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq but had reopened to the public in June.

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