U.S. joins UN in urging Iraq to call early elections and end violence against protesters

A demonstrator, wounded after security forces' intervention with a gas bomb, during the ongoing anti-government demonstrations Baghdad on Sunday. Photo: Murtadha Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Trump administration joined the UN Sunday in urging Iraq’s government to hold early elections and "halt the violence against protesters" after scores were killed by security forces in weeks of unrest.

Why it matters: Demonstrations over the past two months have rocked Iraq, which had been in a state of relative stability for two years. At least 320 protesters have died in the unrest, with four more protesters killed and "some 130 wounded in clashes" in the southern city of Nasiryah over the weekend, AP reports.

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The United States joins the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq in calling on the Iraqi government to ... fulfill President Salih’s promise to pass electoral reform and hold early elections."

White House statement emailed to news outlets

The big picture: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi agreed to resign late last month.

• The United Nations’ mission for Iraq proposed Sunday a roadmap to address the turmoil.

The Iraqi people cannot afford to be held back by the past nor by partisan interests. Rising hope asks for a leap forward. The risk of ‘spoilers’ hijacking peaceful protests is increasing, potentially derailing any attempt at genuine change. Tangible results are of the essence. pic.twitter.com/frtoZgMmFt

— Jeanine Hennis (@JeanineHennis) November 10, 2019

Go deeper:

• The unstable future of Iraq's leadership
• Protests burning in Iraq and Lebanon could singe Iran