Troops Reopen Entrance to Iraq's Key Umm Qasr Port

Employees were able to enter the port although normal operations had not yet resumed, the sources said, according to Reuters.

Protesters had previously blocked Umm Qasr from Oct. 29-Nov. 9, apart from a brief resumption of operations for three days. It receives imports of grain, vegetable oils and sugar shipments that feed a country largely dependent on imported food.

Iraq has been beset by public unrest since October with street protests in several Iraqi cities over unemployment and a lack of basic services. Protests have often turned violent, with clashes between security forces and protesters.

Iraqi protesters have directed their rage at a class of elite leaders whom they accuse of mismanaging the economy.

So far, more than 300 people, including civilians and security forces, have been killed in the protests, according to the Iraqi Parliamentary Human Rights Committee.

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