Mortar shells and automatic weapons fire: Baghdad’s Green Zone was plunged into chaos on Monday night, after the political “withdrawal” of Moqtada Sadr, a coup by the Iraqi Shiite leader that unleashed his supporters, including 15 shot dead.
According to a security source, the Peace Brigades, an armed group under the command of Moqtada Sadr, were attacking the Green Zone from outside. Inside were army special forces and a unit of Hashd al-Shaabi, former pro-Iranian paramilitaries embedded with Iraqi forces, who were fighting back.
The Green Zone was targeted by mortar shells, of which at least seven landed within this perimeter, continued this source, who was unable to provide a report.
The country in political deadlock
Iraq has been in a political deadlock since legislative elections in October 2021. For almost a year, the political barons have been unable to agree on the name of a new Prime Minister. Iraq therefore has neither a new government nor a new president since the legislative elections.
The situation brutally degenerated on Monday when thousands of supporters of Moqtada Sadr invaded the Palace of the Republic where the Council of Ministers is located, in the Green Zone. As the Sadrists invaded the offices, security forces tried to disperse other protesters with tear gas canisters at the entrances to the Green Zone, a security source said.
Fifteen supporters of Moqtada Sadr, who is highly influential in part of the Shia community, were shot dead and another 350 wounded during the day, medical sources said, without giving more details about the circumstances. Some wounded were shot, others inhaled tear gas.
Witnesses reported exchanges of gunfire in the afternoon between Sadrists and supporters of the Coordination Framework, a pro-Iranian rival to the Moqtada Sadr camp, at the entrances to the Green Zone.
calls for calm
In Washington, the White House described the situation as “worrying” and called for calm and dialogue. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “restraint” and asked all parties to “take immediate steps to calm the situation.”
Overnight, the curfew introduced earlier in the day appeared to be respected in Baghdad. The normally bustling streets were empty of cars or passers-by.
To get out of the crisis, Moqtada Sadr and the Coordination Framework agree on one point: a new early election is needed. But if Moqtada Sadr insists on dissolving parliament first, his rivals want to appoint a government first.
In the evening, the Coordination Framework condemned the “attack on state institutions”, while calling on the Sadrists for “dialogue”.
Source: BFM TV
