The Iraqi capital has been rocked by fighting in Baghdad’s Green Zone, with the sound of clashes and intermittent explosions after a day in which 30 people were killed and after the leader of the Sadr movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, announced his retirement from political work. woke up. .
In the last hours, Iraq witnessed successive security and political developments, because the security forces forcibly removed Sadr’s supporters from inside the government palace and the surrounding squares and imposed a curfew in all the provinces.
Danger sirens sounded in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the American Embassy in Baghdad and the “Seram” air defense system was activated twice.
A medical source said: At least 30 people were killed in armed clashes on Monday in the Green Zone.
Clashes with light and medium weapons started inside the Green Zone, the headquarters of Soot Al-Ahed Radio and Do-Ahed Network were attacked by RPGs from Asaib Ahl al-Haq battalions in the Baldiat area in the east of Baghdad.
Informed sources reported that there are talks between government officials and leaders within the framework of coordination and the Sadr movement to reach an agreement that will prevent the country from falling into a cycle of violence.
The president of Iraq wrote in a tweet on his Twitter account: “The blood of Iraqis is a red line” and the prime minister also announced the suspension of official working hours in all provinces on Tuesday.
Hassan al-Adari, the head of Sadr’s resigned parliamentary bloc, wrote on his Facebook page: “Al-Sadr announced a hunger strike until the end of violence and the use of weapons.”
Video clips showed clashes with light and medium weapons inside the Green Zone in Baghdad.
13 explosions were heard in the Green Zone in the capital of Iraq (Baghdad) and eyewitnesses described what is happening as a real war because fierce clashes took place in the Green Zone and flames rose in different areas and clashes between The Sadr Movement and the Coordination Framework, which has powerful and armed groups, took place.
For its part, AFP reported that at least seven mortar shells landed in the Green Zone, which includes government headquarters and embassies, on Monday evening.
“Be steadfast in the darkness of blindfolds and mischief, so that its embryo appears, its ambush is exposed, its arrows are raised, and its life course begins.
Imam Ali peace be upon him#Iraq’s_red_blood_line
— Barham Salih (@BarhamSalih) August 29, 2022
Iraqi media announced that sirens sounded at the US embassy in Baghdad after a mortar shell hit it nearby, and confirmed the evacuation of the Dutch embassy in the Green Zone and the transfer of its staff to the German embassy.
Heavy gunfire was heard near the Iraqi parliament inside the Green Zone, and heavy gunfire was heard in Basra at the same time as curfews were enforced in all Iraqi provinces.
And the Iraqi news agency said that Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi ordered to prevent the use of bullets and shooting at the demonstrators by any security group, and also ordered an immediate investigation into the events in the Green Zone and called on the security forces. forces to protect the demonstrators
He stated that a large number of Sadr’s supporters retreated from the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Iraqi security forces had announced that they had taken full control of the government palace after forcing supporters of the Sadr movement out of it.
The Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced a total curfew in all provinces from seven o’clock yesterday evening, and in a statement called on citizens to fully cooperate with all security institutions, observe the curfew regulations, and avoid evils. stay away Rumors
Faleh al-Fayaz, head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization, also promised Iraqis that “the population will be outside the political alignment and help protect the political process.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi also decided to suspend the cabinet meetings until further notice due to the arrival of demonstrators at the headquarters of this council and announced a state of maximum alert in Baghdad for all security forces.
While presiding over the emergency meeting of the security leaders at the Joint Operations Headquarters, the Iraqi Prime Minister asked the security leaders to be fully committed to protecting the lives of the demonstrators and preserving public and private property.
In a statement, al-Kazemi asked the demonstrators to immediately withdraw from the green zone and follow the orders of the security forces, and Moqtada Sadr also asked for help from government institutions to call the demonstrators to leave.
Criticizing what he called the continuation of the political conflict and reaching the moment of harming all government institutions, the Iraqi Prime Minister said: avoiding the protesters from government institutions is a condemned action and outside the legal framework.
Mohammad Al-Halbousi, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, said: “What the country has witnessed is a great danger, while Masrour Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, asked all political parties to exercise restraint and not allow the situation to get out of control more than it is.”
Hoshiar Zibari, one of the leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic War and former foreign minister, said that what happened in Baghdad was the result of the accumulation of short-sighted and arbitrary policies, interests and judicial decisions.
Cold and peace for the people of Iraq. What happened in Baghdad today was the result of the accumulation of short-sighted arbitrary policies, interests and judicial decisions. We warned them when they disrupted the project of the majority government and reforms and did not respect the will of the people in the October 2021 elections. Peace in the house is peace.
— Hoshyar Zebari (@HoshyarZebari) August 29, 2022
Haider al-Abadi, the former prime minister and the head of the Iraqi Victory Coalition, also called for calm, restraint and not to lead to sedition.
Iyad Allawi, the leader of the Iraqi National Coalition, also said: There is no other way to solve the political crisis except through national dialogue.
The framework of coordination in Iraq also asked the Sadr movement to return to the dialogue table and said: Everyone must repel sedition, prioritize the language of reason and dialogue, and be safe from chaos and bloodshed in the country.
Iraqi President Barham Saleh asked the demonstrators to withdraw from the official institutions and allow the security forces to carry out their duties.
Outside the capital, supporters of Sadr’s movement attacked the parliament office in Karbala, in the south of the country, and images of Sadr’s supporters surrounded the appeals court in the federal province of Maysan, in southeastern Iraq.
Iraqi security officials announced that Sadr’s supporters blocked the entrances to Umm Qasr port in Basra province and closed the Dhi Qar governorate headquarters in Nasiriyah city.
Sadr’s supporters also attacked the headquarters of Diyala province, east of Baghdad, the capital of the country, and the images released by the activists showed dozens of them wandering in the corridors of the headquarters of this province.
In Wasit Province, Sadr’s supporters stormed the governorate building and took full control of it.
This crisis started when Moqtada Sadr announced his final retirement from political life and the closure of his institutions on Monday morning.
Al-Sadr said in a statement that he published on his Twitter account that “all institutions will be closed except for the Holy Shrine, the Sharif Museum and the honorable Marja’ of Sadr’s legacy.”
He continued: Everyone is free from me, and if I die or am killed, I pray for you.
— Muqtadi al-Sayed Muhammad al-Sadr (@Mu_AlSadr) August 29, 2022
In his statement, Moqtada Sadr says: “I have never claimed infallibility, diligence, or even leadership, but I enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and the results of my actions belong to God, and I only wanted to correct the distortion.” The biggest cause of which was the Shia political forces as the majority, I just wanted to bring him closer to his people and feel their suffering.
Source: Lebanon Debate
