Protests Against Al-Maliki Regime Spread in Iraq

摘要

Protests in Iraq's mainly Sunni province of Anbar have intensified following the Dec. 20 arrest of 10 bodyguards who worked for Finance Minister Rafie al-Esawi, a senior Sunni politician who hails from the province, on terrorism charges. Anbar was the hotbed of the Sunni insurgency that emerged after the 2003 US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, but the protests also reflect Sunni fears of marginalization under the strong-arm tactics of the current government of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.