Iraqi activist shot dead in tense southern city of Basra

AP
A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard in front of the local government headquarters in the outhern city of Basra during a meeting headed by the newly elected Iraqi parliament speaker on September 18, 2018. (AFP)
  • Activist Soad Al-Ali was killed by gunmen who fled the scene after shooting at her and her husband

BAGHDAD: A police official says masked gunmen have shot dead a human rights activist and mother of four outside a supermarket in the southern city of Basra.
The official says Soad Al-Ali, who has been involved in organizing protests demanding better services in the city, was killed Tuesday by gunmen who fled the scene after shooting at her and her husband in their car. Al-Ali was killed on the spot while her husband was wounded and was being treated in a hospital.
The assassination — the first such incident since protests erupted this summer — occurred in the Abbasiya district in the center of Basra.
It came as protests resumed Tuesday following a two-week hiatus. Protesters are demanding basic services and the release of those detained in previous demonstrations.