URGENT / Clashes between students – armed men in Arbil

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: A group of armed men, dressed in civilian clothing, have clashed with dozens of students, gathering close to the Ministry of Higher Education in Arbil on Monday, eyewitnesses said. “About 600 persons have gathered in front of Rashad al-Mufty Mosque, close to the Ministry of Higher Education in Kurdistan government, on the main highway between Arbil and Kirkuk, but a group of armed men, dressed in civilian costumes, attacked them along with journalists, in an attempt to disperse the gathering, mostly of students,” the eyewitness told IraqiNews.com news agency. He said the “armed men attacked a number of students and journalists, as well as any person who carried a camera.” “A strict security presence of police and security men was seen close to the Ministry of Higher Education in Arbil, whilst rumors were spread about the wish of professors and university students to organize a demonstration close to the Ministry, at the time that preceded the said clashes,” another eyewitness said. SKH (TP)/SR 239