Ten supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr were killed yesterday in Baghdad’s Green Zone and dozens more were injured, according to medical sources, amid chaos after the Shiite leader announced his final retirement from political work.
The Iraqi army announced a curfew in all parts of the country from 7 p.m. yesterday “until further notice” after hundreds of supporters of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace in Baghdad.
The shooting began in the afternoon in Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone, where hundreds of supporters of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace.
Witnesses confirmed to AFP that the shooters were supporters of the Coordination Framework, an opponent of the Sadrist movement, which includes Shiite factions loyal to Iran, as Iraq plunged into a severe political crisis following parliamentary elections in October 2021.
Security forces also used tear gas to disperse al-Sadr supporters at the entrances to the Green Zone.
A security source said, without giving his name, that Sadr’s supporters “entered the government palace,” which is the seat of government and holds cabinet meetings in the fortified Green Zone, the entrances to which were closed.
While Iraq was mired in a major political crisis, Al-Sadr said in a statement, “I am now announcing my final retirement.” He also announced the closure of all institutions associated with the Sadr movement “with the exception of the shrine (his father Muhammad al-Sadr, who died in 1999), the museum, and the al-Sadr Heritage Office.”
An AFP reporter saw thousands of al-Sadr supporters on the streets of Baghdad outside the Green Zone, heading towards the palace, which was used for presidential ceremonies and receptions during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
It was called the Republican Palace. An AFP photographer reported that from the Green Zone, protesters sat on chairs in a meeting room inside the government palace, some of them raising Iraqi flags and others taking selfies. Others swam in the pool in the palace garden.
And Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi wrote on his Twitter account that he ordered the cabinet to suspend its meetings until further notice due to a group of demonstrators entering the cabinet headquarters, represented by the Government Palace.
Al-Kazemi called on Muqtada al-Sadr to “intervene by ordering the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions.”
Since the last legislative elections, Iraq has witnessed a complete political paralysis due to the failure of negotiations between the main parties to reach an agreement, in particular, on the nomination of a candidate for the post of prime minister.
The Sadrist movement led to the election results with 73 seats (out of 329 seats in parliament), but when it failed to win a majority that would allow it to form a government, al-Sadr announced in June the resignation of his representatives in parliament.
At Al-Sadr’s direction, his supporters protesting in front of parliament called for the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the holding of early legislative elections in order to move the country along the path of reform.
Al-Sadr calls for “reforming” the situation in Iraq from the top of the pyramid of power to the bottom and an end to the “corruption” that plagues the country’s institutions.
Since July, tensions have escalated between al-Sadr and his opponents as part of the “coordination framework” – a political alliance that includes pro-Iranian groups.
While the supporters of al-Sadr, 1974.
The city of An-Najaf, south of Baghdad, is a stronghold of the Sadrist movement, with tens of thousands of its supporters dispersed, especially in central and southern Iraq.
On Saturday, al-Sadr suggested that “all the parties” that have been on the political scene since the fall of Saddam Hussein, including his own, should step down from their government positions in order to resolve the crisis.
So far, the dispute between the Sadrist movement and the coordination structure did not develop into an armed confrontation, but the popular crowd, represented by loyal factions within the framework of the coordination structure, joined the government forces and declared their readiness to “defend state institutions.” .” Prime Minister of Security:
Save the lives of the protesters
Last night, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi renewed his directives to security chiefs to fully comply with previous instructions regarding the protection of the lives of demonstrators. While chairing an emergency meeting of security leaders at Joint Operations Headquarters to discuss the latest developments, Al-Kazemi urged the demonstrators to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone and “not mislead the overall situation in the country, but threaten public peace.”
UN mission calls for calm
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) called on all political parties to work to reduce tensions and to use dialogue as the only way to resolve differences. And she explained in a statement yesterday that “the Iraqis cannot be held hostage by an unpredictable and intolerable situation.” She said, “The very survival of the state is at stake.” He also called on all protesters to leave the green zone in Baghdad immediately, evacuate all government buildings and allow the government to continue to carry out its duties of running the state for the benefit of the Iraqi people.
Iran urges its citizens not to travel to Iraq
Last night, Iran’s interior ministry urged “Iranian citizens not to travel to Iraq until further notice.” Commenting on security developments in Iraq, Iran’s interior ministry said, “We urge Iranian citizens not to travel to Iraq until further notice and we will work to safely return Iranian visitors to the country.”