Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have become involved in an open confrontation with the Iraqi protesters who have been demonstrating since Oct. 1 and calling for major reforms. Over the last three months, the PMU have been accused of participating in a crackdown on protests.

On Jan. 5, Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq witnessed the killing of two protesters who were among others protesting a symbolic funeral procession held by a group of armed men for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Cmdr. Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated at Baghdad International Airport Jan. 3.

“When we refused the gunmen [entrance to] the protest square, they threatened to open fire at us. They fired live bullets at us in the skirmish with the protesters,” a protester in Dhi Qar told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. In response to the shooting, as shown in video footage, the protesters burned the PMU headquarters in the province.

Dhi Qar incurred the most deaths in the war between the Islamic State and the PMU and Iraqi security forces. Also, the province had the biggest share of victims in the Camp Speicher massacre in June 2014, when IS killed 1,700 people.