Protestors torch offices of Kurdish parties in northern Iraq

Kurdish protesters set fire to offices of the regional Kurdish parties Monday in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan amid widespread anger over unpaid salaries and corruption.


The demonstrators torched the office of the ruling Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), headed by the former regional president Masoud Barzani, in the city of Sulaimaniyah in northeastern Iraq, Xinhua reporter in the city said.

The protestors also set fire to the offices of KDP, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Change Movement (Gorran), Islamic Union of Kurdistan (Yekgirtu), and Islamic Group (Komela), in different cities and towns in Sulaimaniyah province, he said.

In some protests, the demonstrators turned violent when some protestors stoned the security forces guarding the Kurdish offices, prompting the troops to use tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds, he added.

About 30 people were taken to hospitals as a result of various suffocation and injuries, the reporter said citing a medical source.
 [china.org.cn]
 19/12/17