Demonstrators had temporarily stormed the Green Zone in late April, when many of those involved were supporters of powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
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Iraqi security forces have fired tear gas and gunshots in the air as hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone, rushing toward the prime minister’s office and the parliament building.
The protesters rushed toward the prime minister’s office and the parliament building on Friday. “Curse the government that kills its children in cold blood”.
“Curfew on Baghdad until further notice”, read a statement which was released by the Joint Operations Command and also relayed by state television.
The demonstrators, demanding reforms, initially were met by fierce resistance from the security forces guarding the main gates of the Green Zone, where main government buildings and some foreign embassies were located, Xinhua reported.
The protesters began withdrawing from the Green Zone to Tahrir Square after a few hours, but witnesses said an elite security force and unidentified gunmen opened fire there. They chanted: “Oh army, the country is hurt!”
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has proposed reforms and wants to replace the current government of party-affiliated ministers with a Cabinet of technocrats.
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Abadi has warned that the impasse could hamper Iraq’s fight against ISIS, which continues to control territory in northern and western Iraq.
