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Provided by News 360 Protests in Iraq over the holding of a parliamentary session - Ameer Al-Mohammedawi/dpa

The European Union has expressed its concern on Friday about the political crisis in the country following massive protests that left at least 30 people dead in the capital, Baghdad, and called on the parties to resume dialogue in order to form a new government.

"The EU is seriously concerned about the recent political and security escalation in the country. Violence is never a solution and must not be allowed to undermine the democratic process," said EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano.

He called on the parties to denounce violent acts, as well as to exercise restraint and work to reduce tensions in order to build dialogue "in good faith", within the constitutional framework.

"In these circumstances and as Iraq marks three years of the Tishrin protest movement and almost a year of early elections in October 2021, the EU reiterates its determination to continue to support Iraq's reform path and its stability and sovereignty," he stressed.

In an attempt to unblock the political situation, Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafa al-Kazemi announced a dialogue table with political forces and parties. But the crisis worsened this week after the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed al Halbusi, who was nevertheless confirmed in his post.

In fact, on the same day of this parliamentary session, clashes between Iraqi security forces and 'Sadrist' demonstrators, followers of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr, were recorded in the vicinity of the Parliament.

The political deadlock is also compounded by the attacks carried out by Iran against the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, which on Wednesday left at least thirteen dead and about 60 wounded, according to the regional authorities.

"The EU condemns in the strongest terms the bombing of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq this week, for which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been blamed," the European club concluded.

According to reports carried by the Kurdish television channel Rudaw, the attacks hit the headquarters of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Democratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran (PDKI), the Party for a Free Life for Kurdistan (PJAK) and Komala in the provinces of Suleimani and Erbil.

The PDKI claims the creation of a Kurdish entity in Iran, something the Islamic Republic has refused to do. PDKI and Revolutionary Guard fighters clashed in 2015 in northern Iran, leaving several dead and wounded on both sides.

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EU expresses concern over political crisis in Iraq and calls for renewed dialogue - msnNOW

Violent clashes between rival factions within Iraq's majority Shiite Muslim community left 23 people dead and hundreds more wounded this week. The mayhem ended abruptly when powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from locations they'd occupied in Baghdad and elsewhere, and to go home.

But while al-Sadr's command defused the deadly standoff between his backers and rival Shiite factions considered allies, if not proxies, of neighboring Iran, the underlying rift remains. Iraqis know that if it's not mended, the violence could easily erupt again, and escalate into a wider conflict.

"It was a terrifying 24 hours, we could hear bullets hitting walls and cars around our apartment," Ahmad Abdullah told CBS News. Abdulla, 36, lives with his wife and two daughters less than a mile from the heavily fortified "Green Zone" in Baghdad, where much of the government is based and which is often the focal point of unrest.

He compared the situation to the civil war that tore Iraq apart between 2003, when the U.S. invaded to topple Saddam Hussein, and 2008.

The clashes didn't take many Iraqis by surprise. The country has been mired in political turbulence since the last national elections in October 2021.

Al-Sadr's nationalist political movement, which opposes both Iran's and the West's influence in Iraq, won the most parliamentary seats in the voting, securing 73 of the total 329.

But they fell short of the two-thirds majority of seats required to form a new government unilaterally. Al-Sadr and his senior aides refused to negotiate a power-sharing unity government with the rival "Coordination Framework," an alliance of mostly Iran-aligned Shiite parties.

Al-Sadr dismissed the Framework's politicians as corrupt proxies of Iran. But without cooperation from its factions including the State of Law parliamentary bloc led by two-term former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki al-Sadr couldn't form a new government.

Iraq has been run by a "caretaker government" since 2020, even before the elections last year failed to establish a new administration.

Al-Sadr tried many times to form a government, but with the deadlock persisting, in June he told all 73 of his bloc's Members of Parliament to resign in protest. He gave his supporters a green light to occupy the parliament and block the next session of the legislature, and then said the parliament should be dissolved and new elections held.

On Monday, al-Sadr went a step further and announced his resignation from politics not for the first time. His followers took it as a battle cry, marching from the parliament they'd occupied for days toward other governmental buildings, including a presidential palace that hosts meetings for heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

They kept marching toward houses and offices of al-Sadr's rivals, and that's when it got ugly. Militias the al-Sadrists say are backed by Iran started confronting them. It escalated quickly, and soon small arms, drones and even mortars were fired.

The chaotic scenes were reminiscent of Iraq's civil war and the sectarian violence that followed the U.S. invasion in 2003. It intensified when the al-Sadr movement's military wing joined his supporters in the melee.

By the time the cleric told his backers to go home, almost two dozen people were dead in Baghdad and other Shiite-majority cities in southern Iraq.

Al-Sadr has long been one of Iraq's most influential Shiite clerics, as was his late father, from whom he inherited a large following.

Unlike many other Shiite leaders in the country, al-Sadr opposed the U.S. invasion in 2003 from the very first day. Soon after U.S. troops arrived, he declared war on them, and it was his militia that claimed many of the U.S. lives lost during the conflict.

Many Iraqis saw al-Sadr as a commander doing what their national leaders would not standing up to a foreign invader and the war gave his domestic popularity and nationalistic image a huge boost.

By 2007, al-Sadr was seen as a serious threat to the U.S. military and the Iraqi administration it backed. So, the U.S. helped usher Nouri al-Maliki into the presidency, vowing to help him take on al-Sadr and his militia.

It was the birth of the enmity between two of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders.

Al-Maliki and his Al-Dawa Party remain the second most powerful Shiite faction in Iraq, after al-Sadr's.

An audio clip of al-Maliki speaking, which was leaked recently to Iraqi media, confirms that he has connections with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, which will only bolster the contempt for him among al-Sadr's loyal supporters.

CBS News spoke with many Iraqi politicians who suggested that the division within the country's huge Shiite population between the al-Sadrists and al-Maliki's supporters has now reached a point of no return.

If they can't agree to work together for the greater good of the country, few see much reason to hope for a stable government in the near future.

"It might look like the two groups are fighting for their election rights and constitutional deadlines, but make no mistake, neither one of them care about democracy and laws," political analyst Rostam Mahmood told CBS News.

Sources told CBS News on Wednesday that Iraq's Supreme Court would consider the al-Sadr movement's request to formally dissolve the parliament and order new elections, indicating at least some effort to ease the tension that sparked this week's violence.

But Mahmood wasn't optimistic about a lasting solution.

"Post-invasion Iraq is now run by groups and leaders that believe in completely different values than a democratic society," Mahmood said. "The idea of parachuting democracy into Iraq didn't work. Just like Afghanistan, Iraq is another failed state, and the country will fall into the wrong hands in the end."

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Iraq political clashes leave 23 dead. Here's why some fear that "just like Afghanistan, Iraq is another failed state." - CBS News

A boy pulls a cart loaded with goods in al-Rasafi Square in central Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- On a hot summer day in downtown Baghdad when the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius, Ahmed Saad, 10, stood on the sidewalk of the al-Rasheed Street, selling bottled water and small bags of ice cubes to passers-by and nearby shop-owners.

Saad wakes up every morning in the poor al-Fadhil neighborhood in the Iraqi capital to work to earn money for his family.

It is not uncommon to see underage girls and boys, such as Saad, selling goods in Baghdad's crowded streets and markets, pushing carts to deliver goods, or unloading the trucks.

This is just part of the rising child labor problem in the war-torn Iraq, where the number of children forced to work is increasing due to the decline in Iraqi families' incomes caused by the political chaos and economic woes.

"We are a five-member family and live in a room rented in an old house. I have to help my father, who is a daily wage worker. I gain, sometimes 5,000 Iraqi dinars (about four U.S. dollars)," Saad told Xinhua.

"I left school in the 3rd grade and went to work to help my father because his income is not enough for the family," he said sadly.

Muthanna Ibrahim, 12, usually works in the nearby al-Shorja market in central Baghdad, pushing carts to deliver goods unloaded from trucks parked on the al-Rasafi Square to the wholesale stores.

He has been working to help his mother to support the six-member family, including four younger brothers, since his father died of cancer two years ago.

"The work here is hard, but what should I do? I have to help my mother, who bakes bread from morning to evening, to feed my younger brothers and help them complete their studies," Ibrahim told Xinhua.

Many Iraqi families choose one of their sons, usually the eldest son like Ibrahim, to quit school to work so that his younger brothers could complete school studies for a better future.

Mohammed al-Qaragholi, a retired engineer, told Xinhua that child labor is rejected because it deprives the children of education and increases their risk of exposure to dangers, including exploitation by drug and terrorist gangs.

"The reason for child labor is that our country has witnessed wars, displacement, and sectarianism. All these problems have become a pressure factor on families. The government must help these people and put them on the right path," al-Qaragholi explained.

He warned that working children face many risks, including the spread of drugs, urging the government to focus on scaling up social protection and increasing investments in public services such as education, health and child protection.

Ali al-Obaidi, a lawyer, told Xinhua that the Iraqi labor law sets a minimum working age of 15, and prohibits children from dropping out of school and engaging in activities that degrade their dignity.

"The government must pay very, very much attention to this issue (child labor) because the building of the nation depends on building the next generation. If one (of these children) is in the street, he will be subject to harassment and vulnerable to being exploited in terrorist operations," al-Obaidi said.

He slammed the lack of public awareness and the government's tolerance for the rise in child labor in Iraq, which has never restored normal life since the U.S. invasion in 2003 that opened the Pandora's box of chaos, violence, and sufferings for the Iraqi people.

In June, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Iraq said in a statement that "children make up the majority of 4.5 million Iraqis who are at risk of poverty due to the impact of conflict and COVID-19, with one in two children (48.8 percent) facing a high risk of multiple deprivations in education, health, living conditions, and financial security."

"Child labor has been on the rise in Iraq in recent years due to armed conflict, displacement, socio-economic challenges, and the pandemic; children were moved to remote learning, increasing the risk of dropping out of school and entering the workforce," the statement said.

It warned that depriving children of their childhood and education would expose them to the risks of serious hazards, illness and exploitations.

A boy loads goods on a cart at al-Rasafi Square in central Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

A boy pushes a cart loaded with goods at al-Rasafi Square in central Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

A boy sells pieces of ice at a market in central Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

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Feature: Child labor in Iraq on rise after years of war, instability - Xinhua

Jamel Herring is most known for his boxing success as the World Boxing Organization junior lightweight champion from 2019 to 2021 with a record of 23-4. He is a 2012 US Olympian competitor, the only Marine to compete in the 2012 games and the last active-duty Marine to qualify for the US Boxing team since 1992. Herring deployed twice, once with the 2nd Marine Division and once with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. His first deployment was in 2005 to Fallujah, Iraq and again went to Iraq in 2007. His deployment experiences consisted of a lot of convoys and security details during his tours, and he served as a gunner on convoys during his 2007 deployment.

Can you share with us about your life growing up?

I grew up in Long Island, Gordon Heights, and was always out and doing sports. Im still close today with one of my friends from childhood who is an Army veteran. One of my influences from growing up was Stephen Brown (pronounced Stefan) and he was a Marine. He encouraged me to join the Corps and I already loved sports, so it made sense. He died in 2004 from lung cancer while still in the Corps and I named my oldest son after Stephen. Stephen was a year older, and he came back from boot camp in the Corps. Im now a world champion boxer and U.S. Olympian and the only U.S. Marine to represent the Corps in the 2012 Olympics. The deployments made me appreciate the simple things in life. I came back and was happy to see grass and a good lawn, even proper plumbing. Now, even today I dont ask for much. Ive been to places where people dont have much but then are grateful for what they do have. My deployment experience gave me a better aspect of how I look at things in my own life. Ive seen people with little, but they are happy. Theres always somebody out there that wishes they were in your place. So, I was never the type of person who needed to have more. In reality, I have more than enough. I could be out chasing what I could have, or I could be happy for quality time with my friends and family.

Do you have a spirituality?

I lost a daughter in 2009 due to SIDS. It took a lot of faith for me not to break. I took that negative and turned it into a positive. I look at my daughter as a Guardian Angel and I look at every decision based on character. I ask myself, If I do this, how would my daughter view me and keep her in mind when I do things more impactful for othersI go off of thathaving my faith intact kept me on the right path.

What got you into Boxing?

A good friend of mine named Ashanti Henderson introduced me to boxingI grew up watching it with my parents and friends but didnt ever see myself doing it, especially when you come from watching the Rocky movies, I didnt want anything to do with boxing. Growing up I wanted to stay out of the streets and would go from school to gym and then from home to bed. I didnt have time to mingle and get in trouble. Thats the main reason why I picked up boxing and to stay busy. Over time I fell in love with the sport, took it more seriously, and then started studying it a lot more to get where Im at now. Another influence was a fellow veteran (Army), Lindberg Freeman. We started boxing together around the same time and motivated each other.

Are there certain key traits and memories from the Corps?

When Im in the boxing ring and am having a rough fight and go back to the corner, I always think about what Ive been through just to get to this point. I always go back to a place in Iraq and have seen roadside bombings and had RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) flying directly towards me and stuff of that nature. Basically, it could be worse, and I have been through worse. More importantly, I know for a fact that there are Marines out there that look up to me and would love to be in my place. Its more of a sense of, theres no room for me to complain about the situation that Im in. Ive overcome so much, and Ive been through worse and there are people who would love to trade places with me. I always think about those tough times in the Corps and think about everything Ive learned from the beginning in basic training. Because a lot of people dont know I spent my 18th birthday in basic training. I was still a kid when I went to boot campstraight out of high school and right in the fire. I had to mature and grow quickly. Most of my adulthood so far took place as a United States Marine. Its all I knew as a Marine growing up, so a lot of those Marine Corps traits stick with me.

Are there a top two or three of those traits that come to mind?

Ill share a story that opens my eyes to this life and how serious it can be. In 2007, I was expecting my oldest son, who was named after Stephen. His mother was pregnant with him, and I happened to be deployed at that time. Ill never forget this EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Sergeant giving us a class on what to look out for, like roadside bombs. Ill never forget he had a 2-week-old son, and a few of the Marines I was in class with out there in Iraq were fooling around and not taking him seriously. Rightfully so this Sergeant lost it and went off and he told us, Hey Im a father trying to get home to my newborn son and you guys are out here playing around. Im giving you my time so that you all go home safely.

The guys wisened up and stopped fooling around, but a week later that same sergeant lost his life to a roadside bomb. I always think, this is really serious. This is really real life here. This was a man who was a good man and had a 2-week-old son. He has a son now that will never meet him. All his son will hear are his stories. I didnt want to be that guy. I didnt want to be the Marine who falls victim to the war. I actually matured a lot more because of that real-life scenario and grew up a lot faster. That always sticks with me. I always share that story when other people take things for granted. There are people out there who really will put everything on the line for you to get to the next level. Its my duty to give back.

About a year agoI went down to Camp Hope (PTSD healing center/foundation) to speak with Marines and veterans in general about their personal issues and what they have dealt with. I may be the champion of the world but at the same time, Im a fellow brother to you guys as well and am still human. I go through the same hardships at times that we all do. Once I felt like we all connected, it just got a lot easier to communicate with these individuals.

Another trait I learned from the Corps is leadership. A great prime example: As a leader you have to learn how to deal with all types of personalities and people from all over. On the 2012 Olympic team, they voted me in as the team captain because of my military background. I took the honor very seriously. Ill never forget, as a Marine, you can easily talk to Marines in a stern way and with civilians, you have to take a different approach. I can talk to this individual strictly and sternly, but for another individual, I might have to have a lighter tone and open up more not only to them but to patiently get them to open up as well.

At the end of the day, as long as I got the same results down the road, I was happy with that. That is when leadership really came in. True story, these individuals, these Olympianswe actually still speak today because of having a great relationship and knowing how to be a good leader and to be more understanding of others.

I owe that due to the Marine Corpswhen I went to the Marine Corps, I was a kid and was in no position to lead. As time went on, I really grew into that leader that was expected of me and I have nothing but the Marine Corps to thank for that.

In what ways did the Corps prepare you as a boxer and in the community?

Boxing is 80% mental, and 20% physical. The Corps strengthens you more mentally and even in basic training, your drill instructor will always tell you its to break you down and to build you up stronger. I truly understand the meaning of that even in the boxing world, even just in life in general. The Corps actually makes life easier for me to speak in life openly. When I went to Camp Hope, I respect every one of those men and women out there who open up about their traumas and past experiences in their lives, making it a lot easier for me to do the same. I instantly, as soon as I walk into the room, find something that can be picked out and connect with them. We will all be laughing and joking as if we knew each other for years. That just comes from great qualities and speaking skills thanks to the Marine Corps.

Is there anything you are doing for community service?

Ive traveled out of the country and have gone from defending a world title and winning on Saturday to being, sore and bruised up on Sunday to getting on a plane just to go see fellow veterans around the world. Giving them a few days of my time. I have been really sore and in pain, but I felt there is a greater need out there and the greater good for me to do. I got on a plane, went out there for a few days and had a blast. I can honestly say that is probably a moment that I wont forget, and they wont forget as well.

What are your next goals and plans?

Its many times day by day, but I want to continue laying down a foundation to where I can help others. Honestly, even though Ive been through tragedies, Ive lost my best friend and I lost a daughter, yet I still look at the great things I have in life. My next thing is to better themselves in their life and to continue going out there and speaking out. I also lost good friends I served with because they didnt have someone to talk to or they couldnt get the help that they needed. I dont want to see that on my watch. Im going to continue to speak to others, help others and be the best individual I can be in life. Taking my free time to go out there and share my love with others as well.to give back.

If it wasnt for the Marine Corps I probably wouldnt be in the position where Im at. People thought I was a good boxer, but, the mental aspects of the Marine Corps are what made me into a better boxer and a better fighter, not only inside the ring but out of it. Thats why I give so much love and respect back to the Marine Corps. Whenever they called me to come back and visit, hey Im there. Give me the date and time and Ill fly myself out there. I already had Marines ask me a few weeks ago to come to the Marine Corps ball. Give me the details and Ill be there in my dress blues. I can still fit in them. I just need a haircut and a proper shave and Im fine.

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How faith, family and focus took this Marine through Iraq and to the Olympics - We Are The Mighty

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the fourth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Iraq (S/2022/46), agreed to convey the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group:

To the armed conflict in Iraq, in particular the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also referred to as Daesh, while it also concerns all other parties mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General, including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF):

To Daesh

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the abhorrent violations and abuses and extreme violence committed against children, including children belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, by Daesh, including their killing and maiming, abduction, rape and other forms of sexual violence, noting that such violations and abuses may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity; and furthermore reaffirming that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever and by whomsoever committed

Strongly urging Daesh to immediately:

Cease all attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, including those resulting in the killing and maiming of children, and comply fully with international humanitarian law by, inter alia, putting an end to any targeting of the civilian population, especially children, as well as to disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks in populated areas, including through terror tactics, attacks by suicide bombers or any other forms of extreme violence or the indiscriminate use of weapons, in particular improvised explosive devices, and any use of weapons prohibited by international law;

End and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, including through abduction, end the military training of children and release without preconditions all children who remain under their control;

Cease the rape of and other forms of sexual violence against children, such as child, early and forced marriage, sexual slavery and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, including against children belonging to ethnic and religious minorities;

Cease the abduction of children and all violations and abuses committed against abducted children, notably girls who face higher rates of abductions in Iraq, and release without preconditions all abducted children, and allow for swift family reunification in the best interests of the child or provide information as to their fate if no longer alive;

To community and religious leaders:

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Public Statement by Chair of Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (2 September 2022) - Iraq - ReliefWeb