BAGHDAD, Iran
At least 15 people have been killed as clashes between Iraqi security forces and supporters of a powerful Shia cleric continued in Baghdad overnight.
Officials say dozens more were
injured after protesters loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the presidential
palace.
The violence was sparked after
Mr Sadr announced his retirement from politics.
Iraq's caretaker prime
minister has called for calm and the military has declared a nationwide curfew
after unrest in several other cities.
Street fighting erupted overnight,
as fighters exchanged gunfire and tracer rounds illuminated the night sky in
some of the worst violence to hit the Iraqi capital in recent years.
Much of the fighting has been
concentrated around the city's Green Zone, an area that houses government
buildings and foreign embassies.
Security officials said some
of the violence was between the Peace Brigades, a militia loyal to Mr Sadr, and
members of the Iraqi military. Videos shared on social media appeared to show
some fighters using heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Iran has closed its borers
with Iraq amidst the fighting, and Kuwait has urged its citizens to leave the
country immediately.
Medics said 15 supporters of
Mr Sadr had been shot dead and about 350 other protesters injured, according to
AFP news agency.
A spokesperson for UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was alarmed by events and called for
"immediate steps to de-escalate the situation".
And Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the
interim prime minister and an ally of Mr Sadr, has suspended cabinet meetings
and has pleaded with the influential cleric to intervene and stop the violence.
A senior aide to Mr Sadr later
told Iraq's state news agency INA that he had announced a hunger strike until
the violence and use of weapons stopped.
It followed a day of violence
sparked by Mr Sadr's announcement that he was withdrawing from political life -
a move he blamed on the refusal of rival Shia leaders and parties to reform the
Iraqi political system.
In October, candidates loyal
to Mr Sadr won the most seats in Iraq's parliament, but he failed to secure
enough seats to form a government. He has since refused to negotiate with
Iranian-backed Shia groups, sparking almost a year of political instability.
Mr Sadr said in a statement:
"I had decided not to interfere in political affairs, but I now announce
my final retirement and the closure of all [Sadrist] institutions." Some
religious sites linked to his movement will remain open.
Mr Sadr, 48, has been a
dominant figure in Iraqi public and political life for the past two decades.
His Mehdi Army emerged as one of the most powerful militias which fought US and
allied Iraqi government forces in the aftermath of the invasion which toppled
former ruler Saddam Hussein.
He later rebranded it as the
Peace Brigades, and it remains one of the biggest militias which now form part
of the Iraqi armed forces.
Although the Mehdi Army had
links to Iran, Mr Sadr had latterly distanced himself from Iraq's Shia
neighbour and repositioned himself as a nationalist wanting to end US and
Iranian influence over Iraq's internal affairs.
The rival Shia political bloc,
the Coordination Framework, with which Mr Sadr's bloc has been at loggerheads,
mainly includes Iran-backed parties.
Mr Sadr, one of Iraq's most
recognisable figures with his black turban, dark eyes and heavy-set build, had
championed ordinary Iraqis hit by high unemployment, continual power cuts and
corruption.
He is one of a few figures who could quickly mobilise hundreds of thousands of supporters onto the streets, and draw them down again. Hundreds have been camped outside parliament since storming it twice in July and August in protest at the deadlock.
No comments:
Post a Comment