MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2018) Demonstrators have stormed one of the presidential palaces in the Iraqi southern city of Basra amid ongoing mass protests against lack of basic services and corruption.
According to the Al-Sumaria broadcaster, the protesters torched one of the four presidential palaces in Basra after attacking the Iranian consulate earlier on Friday and burning offices of pro-Iranian political parties on Thursday.
Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq's most influential Shiite politician, on Thursday called on the parliament to convene an emergency session before Sunday to address the situation in Basra.
The previous protests in Basra broke out in June before spreading to other areas of southern Iraq. Discontent has been sparked by problems with electricity and water supplies that have been exacerbated by scorching heat this summer. The government had formed a special commission to deal with the demands, pledging to allocate some $17 million to fixing electricity and water supplies. The promise resulted in protests subsiding before reigniting on Monday.
