Nfter the escalation of violence in Iraq, the situation in the capital Baghdad has calmed down again. Supporters of the influential Shiite preacher Muqtada al-Sadr followed his order on Tuesday and ended their protest camp at the parliament. TV pictures showed them dismantling their tents.
The UN mission in Iraq welcomed Al-Sadr’s “moderate statement”. “Restraint and calm are necessary for sanity to prevail,” she wrote on Twitter. Acting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi tweeted that al-Sadr’s call to end violence was “the epitome of patriotism.”
The month-long power struggle between al-Sadr and his political opponents had previously turned violent. Militias from both sides fought in the heavily secured Green Zone in the center of the capital Baghdad. According to the Iraqi security forces, four rockets hit the area where the US embassy is located. According to information from hospitals, security circles and eyewitnesses, at least 25 people died and around 450 were injured. Al-Sadr’s supporters had besieged parliament in recent weeks. On Monday they stormed and occupied the government palace that houses Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi’s office.
“I apologize to the Iraqi people”
Al-Sadr then ordered his supporters to disperse their protest camp in the government district on Tuesday. If they don’t end their siege within an hour, he himself will withdraw from his own movement, he said in a televised address. It makes him sad what happened in Iraq. He had hoped for peaceful protests. “I apologize to the Iraqi people,” the Shiite cleric said. The security forces lifted the curfew in Baghdad.
Al-Sadr’s movement emerged as the strongest force in last October’s parliamentary elections. However, he failed to form a government. He refused to cooperate with the pro-Iranian parties. In this political stalemate, al-Sadr called for the dissolution of parliament and new elections, which his opponents oppose. At the same time, the preacher relied on the pressure of the street.
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