Armed Clashes Continue In Iraq With At Least 20 Killed
Nearly 20 people were killed in Iraq on Monday as opposition cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s supporters clashed with Iran/backed militia groups in major cities.
Nearly 20 people were killed in Iraq on Monday as opposition cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s supporters clashed with Iran/backed militia groups in major cities.
Clashes continued Tuesday, as Iraqi militias fired several rockets at Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone for a second day as hostilities intensified between rival Shi’ite Muslim groups, the military said.
Iran International’s correspondent in Iraq reported Tuesday that Sadr’s armed supporters have occupied all bridges on the Tigris River in Baghdad, except one crossing that kinks to the venue of a gathering by their opponents.
Just before noon local time, our correspondent also reported that pro-Iran politician and former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's residence in Baghdad was surrounded by Sadrist crowds but pro-Iranian militia were using heavy weapons to defend it. Allegedly dozens of Sadr's supporters were wounded by gunfire.
She also reported that many websites affiliated with political groups, including some belonging to the government, were unavailable on Tuesday.
Streets were mostly empty of ordinary people as gunmen cruised in pickup trucks carrying machine guns and brandishing grenade launchers. Overnight, sustained gun and rocket fire rang out across the Iraqi capital.
Clashes on Monday, which killed nearly 20 people, jolted Iraq into new violence as supporters of al-Sadr, a former anti-US insurgent leader, faced off with Shi’ite armed groups mostly loyal to Iran.
There were reports Monday night that pro-Iran militia fired at Sadrists in Baghdad’s Green Zone, but it is not clear if how many people were killed. In turn, Sadrists said they were targeting offices and bases of pro-Iranian armed groups.
Many foreign governments have urged citizens to leave Iraq. Iranian media reported that all air and land borders with Iraq are closed, as the Iranian embassy in Baghdad and other missions face attacks by Sadrists.
A prolonged political deadlock after an October election, during which the two camps have competed for power, has given the country its longest run without a government and led to new unrest as Iraq struggles to recover from decades of conflict.
This time, the fighting is among the Shi’ite majority that has ruled Iraq since the 2003 US invasion which toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
Sadr has positioned himself as a nationalist who opposes all foreign interference, whether from the United States and the West or from Iran. He commands a thousands-strong militia and has millions of loyal supporters across the country. His opponents, longtime allies of Tehran, control dozens of paramilitary groups heavily armed and trained by Iranian forces.
Sadr and his opponents have long dominated state institutions and run large parts of the Iraqi state.
Part of Sadr’s support comes from disgruntled Iraqis who launched anti-government protests in 2019, lasting for months and met opposition from Iran-linked groups. These Iraqis were demanding efficient governance and blamed Iran for interfering in Iraq politics and contributing to corruption and lack of services.
Iraq is one of the world’s largest oil exporters but nearly two decades after Saddam was toppled, still suffers from lack of some basic services such as reliable electricity for people.
With reporting by Reuters
The government announced the postponement of a cabinet meeting, while Iran International’s correspondent in Iraq reported Sadrists storming governorate buildings in provinces including Basrah, south Iraq, and Maysan, also bordering Iran. They were chanting slogans against Iran and its interference in Iraqi politics. Fierce clashed also took place between Sadr's supporters and pro-Iranian groups.
Wary of a deteriorating security situation, the Iranian embassy warned nationals not to go to Kazimayn and Samarah, Shia shrines, and if in Najaf or Kerbalah to stay put.
Sadr – whose role in Iraqi politics goes back to the days of Saddam Hussein, overthrown by the United States-led 2003 invasion – won 73 of 329 seats in last October’s parliamentary election but has been unable to gain office after months of political haggling that has failed to produce a new administration.
The Sadrists withdrew from parliament June 13, prompting supporters to storm the building in July and to remain encamped outside ever since. Sadr’s announcement Monday of his ‘retirement’ enflamed supporters, with some storming government buildings in the fortified ‘green zone,’ central Baghdad.
AFP news agency reported shots being fired, possibly just in the air, and security forces using tear gas. The official news agency INA announced that military authorities had set a full curfew in Baghdad from 3.30pm local time.
Updates from out correspondent in Iraq said that widespread armed clashes errupted after dark between Sadr's militia and pro-Iran armed groups in Baghdad and Basra.
Risk of violent conflict?
After earlier ‘retirements,’ Sadr has returned to politics, and there have been suggestions he is trying to strengthen his negotiating hand over a new government rather than either stepping aside or even trying to seize power. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, caretaker prime minister since May 2020, is sympathetic to Sadr while not an ally.
Sadr has a long record of populism, based on active social-welfare networks built up from those of his father, Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, who was assassinated in Najaf in 1999. Moqtada Sadr’s Mehdi Army, originally active in resisting the post-2003 US occupation, is now formally part of the Iraqi armed forces alongside other Shia militia.
At various times Sadr has appeared close to Iran, but has more often positioned himself as an ardent Iraqi nationalist wanting to curb both Iranian and US influence. Some US-based analysts have suggested Washington should ally with Sadr against Iraqi groups closer to Tehran they call ‘proxies’, while other analysts have warned that Sadr brings the risk of Iraq falling into violent conflict.
The Coordination Framework, a Shia-led bloc including the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and some Sunni groups, regards Sadr as an unpredictable firebrand. Common opposition to Sadr, despite other differences, holds the bloc together.
There have also been reports that Washington has tried in recent days to pressure Sadr to resolve differences with other Iraqi groups. Ambassador Alina Romanowski August 24 expressed concern to President Barham Saleh over Sadrists preventing courts functioning by protesting outside judiciary buildings.