WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2019) The United States abhors the killing of protesters in Iraq, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi in a phone conversation, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Tuesday.
"Pompeo spoke today with Iraqi Prime Minister... al-Mahdi," Ortagus said in a readout. "The Secretary deplored the death toll among the protesters as a result of the government of Iraq's crackdown and use of lethal force, as well as the reports of kidnapped protesters."
Ortagus said Pompeo also urged Mahdi to take immediate steps to address the protesters' legitimate grievances by enacting reforms and tackling corruption.
In addition, Pompeo told Mahdi that peaceful public demonstrations were a fundamental element of all democracies, the readout added.
Iraq has been hit by nationwide protests that have prompted a heavy-handed response from the government, including over 300 dead and some 15,000 injured at the hands of security forces.
The White House said in a Sunday statement that Washington was "seriously concerned" about the situation in the country and urged the Iraqi government to hold early elections and halt the violence against protesters.
An Iraqi human rights group claimed earlier that at least six people had been killed during a crackdown on demonstrations in the center of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday and that law enforcement forces actively use tear gas and live fire to disperse protests.
