Gunmen attack TV offices in Baghdad amid popular unrest
Unknown gunmen have attacked the offices of television stations
in the Iraqi capital amid the unrest gripping the country.
The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news
channel says masked gunmen who arrived in black cars wearing black clothes
stormed the offices of the station in Abu Nawas street Saturday evening, beat
up some of the employees and smashed equipment before they fled.
Majed Hamid, the channel's
correspondent in Baghdad, said several colleagues were injured. He added that
the station had been receiving threats for several days.
Gunmen also attacked the
offices of Iraq's Dajla and NRT news channels in Baghdad, according to
employees at the stations. Both of those stations are privately owned.
Iraq has been gripped by
violence since Tuesday when anti-government protests started. Security forces
have fired live ammunition and tear gas in a desperate attempt to suppress
them.
The death toll from mass
protests in Baghdad and cities across southern Iraq rose to almost 100 on
Saturday as the unrest entered its fifth day, the Iraqi parliament's human
rights commission said.
More than 4,000 people have
also been injured since the protests against chronic unemployment, poor public
services and widespread corruption.
A total of 540 demonstrators
have been arrested, of whom nearly 200 remain in custody.