Iraqi forces close Karbala–Baghdad highway over graduation protests

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi security forces closed the highway linking Karbala to Baghdad to vehicle traffic on Tuesday after demonstrators took to the road, according to local sources. Protesters gathered in the nearby city of Hilla demanding appointments and jobs, blocking the international route leading toward the capital. Security forces prevented dozens of buses carrying graduates and other travelers from entering Baghdad from Karbala and other cities. The closure caused congestion and traffic jams along the Hilla–Baghdad road, the sources said. Separately, graduates in the central Baghdad neighborhood of al-Awja held demonstrations calling for appointments and for positions to be allocated to them in the federal budget. No immediate response from the authorities was reported.