Iraqi Ex-Soldiers Clash Again with Occupying Troops

06/10/2003| IslamWeb

Occupation troops clashed with hundreds of former soldiers of Iraqi's army in a second day of violent confrontations, which have left at least three Iraqis dead and scores wounded. British soldiers fired rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of former Iraqi conscripts who hurled rocks and set tires ablaze in the southern city of Basra. The protesters gathered early on Sunday after a British soldier shot dead an armed man in Basra the previous day during clashes with Iraqis who had gathered to collect redundancy payments for being laid off from the Iraqi army. Ex-soldiers also clashed with U.S. troops for a second day in Baghdad near a payment center where they are given their 40 US dollars compensation for losing their jobs. Violent protests erupted on Saturday at payment centers in Baghdad, Basra and the town of Hilla. Iraq's U.S.-led administration said supporters of Saddam fueled the unrest by spreading rumors there was not enough money to pay everyone. The U.S. military said two Iraqis were killed in the unrest in Baghdad on Saturday. **IRAQIS DEMAND JOBS*** Locals in Basra said five people had been wounded on Sunday by rubber bullets. Iraqi police arrived to help quell the violence and fired in the air, but fled to a nearby university building after running out of bullets, chased by the crowd. Mohammed Jasim Abboud, one of the protesters, said former soldiers needed jobs and money. "We've had no wages for a while now," he said. "We want our rights like everyone else." The U.S.-led administration in Iraq disbanded the country's army in May, sparking several angry demonstrations by soldiers who said they faced destitution in a country whose economy has been battered by war and years of dictatorship and sanctions. **PHOTO CAPTION*** An arrested and handcuffed Iraqi man is seated before a US soldier after US troops and Iraqis traded gunfire when a fight broke out with a crowd of ex-soldiers seeking promised back-pay in Baghdad. (AFP/Ramzi Haidar)