BAGHDAD —
Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr withdrew Tuesday from
Baghdad’s Green Zone after he demanded an end to fighting between rival Shiite
forces and the army that left 30 dead and hundreds wounded.
اضافة اعلان
The violence that
erupted on Monday pitted
Sadr loyalists against Shiite factions backed by
neighboring Iran, with the sides exchanging gunfire across barricades — violence
the UN warned risked tipping the war-ravaged country deeper into chaos.
After Sadr’s
speech was broadcast live on television, his supporters started dismantling
encampments and clearing the Green Zone, where municipal workers began cleaning
up shells and bullet casings left in the wake of the unrest.
The army lifted
a nationwide curfew, with concrete barriers removed from main thoroughfares and
traffic slowly starting to trickle back to its normal flow.
Sadr, a
grey-bearded preacher with millions of devoted followers who once led a militia
against American and Iraqi government forces, gave followers “60 minutes” to
withdraw after which he would threaten to “disavow” those who remained.
“I apologize to
the Iraqi people, the only ones affected by the events,” Sadr said in a speech
from his base in the central city of Najaf.
“Shame on this
revolution. ... Regardless of who was the initiator, this revolution, as long
as it is marred by violence, is not a revolution,” he said.
“I thank the
security forces and members of
Hashed Al-Shaabi,” he added.
Tensions have
soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new
government, prime minister, or president for months.
They escalated
sharply after Sadr’s supporters on Monday afternoon stormed the government
palace inside the high-security Green Zone following their leader’s
announcement that he was quitting politics.
‘Bargaining tactics’
By sending supporters in and then asking them to withdraw, Moqtada “is
showing the social power he has and the base that he has, particularly to his
opponents”, said Renad Mansour of British think tank Chatham House.
Overnight,
shelling targeted the Green Zone that houses government buildings and
diplomatic missions, amid angry protests after Sadr surprised many by
announcing his “definitive retirement”.
Violence
continued Tuesday morning — with the rattle of automatic gunfire and heavier
explosions of rocket-propelled grenades — as Sadr’s supporters clashed with the
army and men of the Hashed Al-Shaabi, former Tehran-backed paramilitaries
integrated into the Iraqi security forces.
“I think this
strategy of violence and destabilization is part of Sadr’s negotiation and
bargaining tactics,” Mansour told AFP.
The UN mission
in Iraq warned of “an extremely dangerous escalation” and called on all sides
to “refrain from acts that could lead to an unstoppable chain of events”.
“The very
survival of the state is at stake,” it warned.
Medics said 30
Sadr supporters had been killed since Monday and some 570 others wounded — some
with bullet wounds and others suffering tear gas inhalation.
A mass funeral
was held Tuesday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf for some of the protesters
killed in Baghdad.
Witnesses said
earlier that Sadr loyalists and supporters of a rival Shiite bloc, the pro-Iran
Coordination Framework, had exchanged fire.
The Framework
condemned an “attack on state institutions”, urging the Sadrists to engage in
dialogue.
Caretaker Prime
Minister
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said “security or military forces, or armed men”
were prohibited from opening fire on protesters.
‘Disturbing’
The US also urged calm amid the “disturbing” reports, while France
called on “the parties to exercise the utmost restraint”.
Sadr — a longtime
player in the war-torn country’s political scene, though he himself has never
directly been in government — announced he was quitting politics two days after
he said “all parties” including his own should give up government positions in
order to help resolve the political crisis.
His bloc emerged
from last October’s election as the biggest in the legislature, with 73 seats,
but short of a majority.
Since then, the
country has been mired in political deadlock due to disagreement between Shiite
factions over forming a coalition.
In June, his
lawmakers quit in a bid to break the logjam, which led to the Coordination
Framework becoming the largest bloc.
Sadr’s
supporters had for weeks been staging a sit-in outside Iraq’s parliament, after
storming the legislature’s interior on July 30, demanding fresh elections be
held.
The Coordination
Framework wants a new head of government to be appointed before any new polls
are held.
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