BAGHDAD , Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Families of Iraqi military personnel involved in a June attack by the Islamic State stormed Baghdad's Parliament building in protest Tuesday, a parliament official said.

About 1,000 people entered the building during an outdoor protest, demanding more information on the deaths of their relatives. They vandalized parts of the building and refused to leave until their concerns were addressed. Ministers in the building were evacuated.


The building and streets were locked down, and armored vehicles and water cannons could be seen in the streets adjacent to the building.

"Shortly after the protesting began, the relatives entered the Parliament building," Rudaw, a Kurdish news agency, reported. "'The protesters number more than 1,000,'" Salim Shushkayi, a member of parliament said. 'They wave black flags. They push towards the gates and refuse to listen to anyone.'" There was no immediate report of injuries.

The Islamic State overtook Camp Speicher, near the city of Tikrit, in June, and allegedly killed nearly 1,700 Iraqi military personnel there.