BAGHDAD — Iraqi police took down tents and cleared a Sunni sit-in in a flashpoint western city after protesters there agreed to end their months-long demonstration after talks with the Shiite-led government, an official said Monday.
Clashes nearby that reportedly left 10 dead, however, were a reminder of how the protest movement has often fueled armed campaigns by insurgent groups against the authorities.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, the Sunni speaker of parliament said that dozens of deputies had submitted their resignations protesting the dismantlement of the camp.
The protest camp in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, was one of a half-dozen similar sit-ins across Sunni areas in Iraq. Since last December, the Sunnis have been protesting against what they perceive as discrimination at the hands of the country’s Shiite-led government and against tough anti-terrorism measures they say target their sect.
On Monday, security forces dismantled the Ramadi camp, which was set up along a highway linking the city with Baghdad to the east, and Jordan to the west, said Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari. By early afternoon, the highway was reopened, he said.
The development came after three days of talks between the Ramadi Sunnis and Defense Ministry officials from Baghdad.
