Baghdad, Jan. 17: Celebratory gunfire following football-mad Iraq’s crucial Asia Cup triumph over the United Arab Emirates over the weekend killed three people and left 24 others wounded, officials said on Monday.
Shots were fired into the air in several Iraqi cities immediately after the final whistle blew in the national side’s 1-0 victory over the UAE on Saturday, despite government warnings in recent months against such shows of joy. Police said the celebratory gunfire killed three people and wounded 10 others in the central province of Diyala, while 11 were injured in Baghdad and three in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Despite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s calls for legislation to curb gunfire, such restrictions would be difficult to enforce, an interior ministry official said.
“Policemen and soldiers are themselves the first to fire into the air after matches,” the official lamented, speaking on condition of anonymity.