In the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, supporters of the influential Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace. Earlier on Monday, in a surprise reversal, al-Sadr announced his withdrawal from Iraqi politics and the closure of his party’s offices.
Al-Sadr’s supporters had initiated a sit-in in front of parliament, paralyzing politics in the country for more than four weeks, in order to reinforce their demand for new elections. Shortly after al-Sadr’s announcement, hundreds of his supporters flocked to the government palace, which houses the main offices of Acting Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi.
The protesters used ropes to bring down cement barriers leading to the palace gates. The Iraqi military called on the people to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone and exercise restraint “to avoid clashes and the shedding of Iraqi blood.”
According to doctors, at least 12 al-Sadr supporters were killed and 270 others injured in the clashes in the government district. According to eyewitnesses, Sadr supporters and supporters of a rival Shia group exchanged fire. The army used tear gas.
In the evening, at least seven grenades hit the so-called Green Zone, according to security circles. It was initially unclear who had fired them. Gunshots were then heard in the government district.
The UN mission in Iraq (Unami) spoke of an “extremely dangerous escalation” and called on the demonstrators to leave the government district immediately. “The survival of the state is at stake,” the UN mission said.
“The security forces reaffirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions, public and private property,” the statement said. The military declared a city-wide curfew.
Al-Sadr’s statement came in response to the resignation of another cleric and Shia leader, Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri. Al-Sadr’s supporters include many followers of Al-Haeri. The previous day he had declared that he would resign as a religious authority. He had called on his followers to support Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rather than the Shia spiritual center in Najaf, Iraq. This was a setback for al-Sadr, who stated that al-Haeri’s resignation was “not of his own volition.”
Al-Sadr’s movement won the most seats in October’s parliamentary elections but failed to form a government. This was followed by one of the country’s worst political crises in recent years.
Al-Sadr’s bloc later resigned from parliament. At the end of July, his supporters stormed the parliament in Baghdad twice and set up a permanent protest during the second storm. Al-Sadr has called for the dissolution of parliament and early elections.
