The first nights of 2020 were harsh for Iraqis who stayed up late following the accelerating developments and resulting feelings about a possible Iranian-American war on the country territory after a US drone killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, along with several others, near the Baghdad airport Jan. 3.
The assassination left Iraqis divided and led many American oil workers to flee Iraq the same day amid fears of an expected Iranian retaliation. It also cast a dark shadow over the country’s widespread civil protests that erupted in Baghdad and major southern cities Oct. 1.