Iraqi Sectarian Violence Spreads After Hawija Deaths
After dozens were killed when the Iraqi army stormed demonstrations in Hawija, sectarian violence seems to be escalating despite truce efforts, writes Ali Abel Sadah.
Iraqi military forces violently dealt with Sunni protesters in the town of Hawija in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
Military units, which work under the auspices of the Tigris Operations Command, said that they were negotiating with protest leaders in Hawija to facilitate the handover of the insurgents who had attacked local checkpoints using light weapons.
Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Al-Monitor that “the negotiations with the protest leaders to hand over the perpetrators of the attack have been ongoing for a week, since April 18.”
Maan said that when the negotiations failed to yield results, the security forces broke into the protest square to inspect and arrested the attackers. Protesters, however, provoked members of the unit and the situation developed into an armed clash, during which live bullets and tear gas were used.
