The US Embassy in Iraq turned on the siren because of a mortar shell that exploded in the immediate vicinity of the building.

An Iraqi security source told Al-Sharq that “the US embassy turned on the sirens because a mortar shell fell near the building.”

Press reports reported: “At least seven mortar shells fell in the green zone of Baghdad” amid chaos after Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced his retirement from political work.

And the head of the resigned parliamentary bloc of the Sadrists said that “Muktada al-Sadr went on a hunger strike until the violence and use of weapons ceased.”

And Iraqi media reported that there was a fierce firefight in the “Green Zone” between the forces of the “peace brigades” and the forces associated with the “popular mobilization”. It was also reported that “two explosions sounded in the center of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.”

And the AFP news agency reported that “the death toll from demonstrations in Baghdad has risen to 12 people, which is a new number of victims.” The Iraqi Joint Operations Command has issued a “full curfew in all governorates starting at 7:00 pm today.”