Sunday, February 20, 2011

Gunmen Attack Northern Iraqi TV Station that Aired Protest Video

Gunmen in northern Iraq have attacked a local television station that aired footage of a deadly protest that occurred last week against the dominant political bloc of the Kurdish autonomous region.
Station officials say masked men wearing military-style clothes attacked the station in Sulaimaniyah early Sunday.
They say the attackers shot and wounded a guard before firing at equipment and fleeing the scene.
The station had been in operation for only a few days before airing live images of last Thursday's protest in Sulaimaniyah.
During the demonstration, security guards fired at protesters outside the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of regional President Massoud Barzani, killing two people and injuring dozens of others. The demonstrators had marched to the building to demand political reform. Reports say security men opened fire after some of the protesters threw stones at the building.
On Sunday, several more people were injured during continuing demonstrations in the city.
The demonstrators are angry at the Kurdish region's two main political parties, which dominate the region's political affairs and economy.