BAGHDAD—The Iraqi government on Tuesday fired scores of senior military commanders for their role in a deadly crackdown on protesters, as authorities tried to avert a potential explosion of unrest that is compounded by new threats to Iraq’s stability in neighboring Syria.
The move comes as protesters gear up for renewed demonstrations against Iraq’s political establishment on Friday that are intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s government.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Baghdad and other cities in southern Iraq to vent their anger over poor governance, corruption and economic mismanagement that has failed to spread the country’s massive oil wealth. Their demands grew into calls to oust government after security forces responded with force over a week-long period, leaving more than 100 people dead thousands injured.
In the melee, security forces and unidentified snipers positioned on rooftops shot at demonstrators. The government blocked the internet in an apparent effort to hamper protesters’ ability to organize. Unidentified gunmen trashed the offices of TV channels that covered the demonstrations.
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A government probe released on Tuesday found that 70% of the protesters shot were hit in the chest or head, suggesting that deadly force was intentional. The report also said ambulances were fired upon, preventing them from reaching wounded protesters, without identifying who did the shooting. The report also didn’t identify who shot protesters but it said the government didn’t issue any order to shoot.
In response to the findings, the government on Tuesday fired 44 army and police commanders for losing control of the security forces under their command. Iraq’s forces are fragmented and include factions loyal to different political parties, making accountability difficult.
Civil activist Waleed al-Salihi dismissed the results of the investigation as an attempt to appease protesters ahead of the planned demonstrations on Friday. “The protests are made of young men whose will is stronger than iron after the bloody repression they suffered,” Mr. Salihi said. “We would sooner die than retreat.”
The political bloc led by former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi criticized the government’s investigation for failing to identify those responsible for the killings and other rights violations. He said responsibility ultimately lay with the government for failing to protect protesters and stop the sustained violence.
Populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who remained on the sidelines during the previous protests, has now thrown his support behind them, potentially further stoking the crowd sizes.
The protests have come at a delicate time for Iraq, which has rushed to fortify its border with Syria, concerned that Turkey’s invasion in an effort to create a so-called safe-zone to protect it from what it sees as a threat from Kurdish militias and Islamic State militants. Hundreds of foreign women and children linked to Islamic State escaped from a camp in northeastern Syria when Turkish-backed forces attacked the area this month.
The arrival of American troops that withdrew from Syria and are now set to remain in Iraq to fight Islamic State could also stoke tensions in Iraq, where pro-Iranian factions have pressured for an exit of U.S. troops just as more are arriving. Qais al-Khazaali, a prominent politician and former Iraqi paramilitary commander with close ties to Iran, said the protesters’ demands were legitimate but he criticized the U.S. for allegedly fomenting the unrest in Iraq, without providing evidence.
The U.S. Embassy didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Despite years of war and violence, the ferocity of this month’s crackdown stunned many Iraqis who had viewed their state as less repressive than many other autocratic countries in the region.
Arab Spring uprisings didn’t sweep through Iraq or Lebanon, where protests have also taken hold this week. Thousands there are demanding an end to the same kind of political dysfunction and corruption that plagues Iraq. Some demonstrators in Beirut have held aloft signs hailing fellow protesters in Baghdad.
Write to Isabel Coles at isabel.coles@wsj.com
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