Tuesday’s rally began peacefully with more than 1,000 people marching into central Tahrir Square Police started throwing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the protesters BAGHDAD: Two people were killed and more than 200 wounded on Tuesday, Iraq"s health ministry said, in aprotest in Baghdad that security forces dispersed with a volley of gunfire and tear gas. More than 1,000 protesters had descended on the capital to protest against a wide range of grievances including unemployment, government corruption and poor services. The wounded included 160 civilians and 40 security forces, the ministry added. Police initially opened fire in the air and it was not clear if they subsequently shot into the crowd, but Reuters reporters saw five protesters with blood covering their faces. Ambulances rushed in to transport more wounded. The protesters, numbering about 3,000, had tried to cross a bridge leading into Baghdad"s fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies. Security forces, who had blocked roads, used stun grenades and water cannons to push back crowds. Protesters refused to leave and so security forces opened fire. "This is not a government, it is a bunch of parties and militias who destroyed Iraq," said one protestor who declined to give his name out of fear of reprisal. Shi"ite Muslim militias known as Popular Mobilisation Forces play a large role in Iraqi politics and have representation in parliament and government. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who chaired the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, issued a statement promising jobs for graduates. He instructed the oil ministry and other government bodies to start including a 50 percent quota for local workers in subsequent contracts with foreign companies. Iraq saw massive protests last year which first erupted in the south, heartland of the Shi"ite majority. Clashes took place between security forces and protesters incensed by collapsing infrastructure, frequent power cuts, and widespread corruption. Iraq has suffered for decades under the rule of Saddam Hussein and UN sanctions, the 2003 US.-led invasion and civil war it unleashed, and the battle against Islamic State, which was declared won in 2017. Graft is widespread and basic services like power and water are lacking.