Basra airport targeted by rocket fire as violent protests grip Iraq

Basra airport wastargeted by rocket fire on Saturday after a night of protestsover perceived misrule by Iraq's political elite during whichdemonstrators torched the Iranian consulate and briefly tookoilfield workers hostage.

Iraqi security sources said three Katyusha rockets fired byunknown assailants had hit the perimeter of the airport,although no damage or casualties had been reported. The U.S. consulate is adjacent to Basra's airport.

An official at the Iraqi airport said there was nodisruption to operations, and flights were taking off andlanding as normal.

The attack came shortly after a citywide curfew was liftedand hours after the reopening of Iraq's main seaport of Umm Qasrwhere protesters had blocked the port's entrance, forcing a haltto all operations.

Basra, Iraq's second biggest city located in the country'sShi'ite heartland, has been roiled by five days of deadlydemonstrations, duringwhich government buildings have beenransacked and set alight by protesters angry over politicalcorruption.

Protests first erupted in July over poor governmentservices, but intensified this week.

On Friday, protesters broke into the Iranian consulate'soffices, shouting condemnation of what many perceive as Iran'ssway over Iraq's political affairs, and set it alight. Iran andIraq both strongly condemned the move, raising fears of possibleretribution.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who held an emergencycabinet meeting on Saturday hours before parliament was due toconvene an emergency session to discuss the crisis, said in astatement that he had ordered an investigation into the securityforces "for not fulfilling their duties" in protectinggovernment buildings and the Iranian consulate.

Water protest

The unrest has thrust Iraq into a major crisis at a timewhen politicians still have yet to agree a new government afteran inconclusive election in May. The new parliament finally metfor the first time on Monday, but broke up after a day havingfailed to elect a speaker, much less name a new prime minister.

Organizers of the demonstrations said they would pauseprotests on Saturday following the evening's escalation, whileadditional security forces have been deployed as backup.

Residents in Basra, a city of more than twomillion people,say they have been driven to the streets by corruption andmisrule that allowed infrastructure to collapse, leaving nopower or safe drinking water in the heat of summer.

They say the water supply has become contaminated with salt,making them vulnerable and desperate in the hot summer months,and thousands of people have been hospitalized from drinking it.

Three protesters died on Friday and 48 more were wounded, 26of whom were shot, sources said, while twomembers of the securityforce were wounded.

At least 13 protesters have died, some in clashes withsecurity forces, since Monday and dozens more have been wounded,the Basra Health directorate and local health sources said.