Authorities urged security forces to clear street markets in Jleeb Al-Shuyiukh. Municipal Council member and head of Hawally committee Yousif Al- Ghareeb said that the market is run by number of ‘loose and marginal’ Asian laborers. He warned that the market sells vegetables, fruits, supply goods (whose sale is only restricted to the ministry of commerce), secondhand clothes, cigarettes and tobacco.

“These street vendors must be dealt with very strictly because they have been occupying the polyclinic and the mosque parking spaces on a daily basis,” he said, pointing out that vendors keep coming back to the market despite repeated municipal raids, and a fixed security presence is needed there at all times.