Highlighting the simmering political tensions in Iraq, hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone Saturday and entered the country’s Parliament.
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Demonstrators pulled out of the Green Zone, where parliament is located, on Sunday evening, a day after breaching the walls of the fortified government district.
“So far, the Iraqi security forces are not fully capable of defeating IS group without help of USA -led coalition or Iranian-backed Shiite militias”. Some analysts see Sadr continuing as a key political figure, possibly even as “the last man standing”.
Sadr supports Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s efforts to form a new cabinet of technocrats to replace the current government of party-affiliated ministers, accused of graft and sectarianism. According to Martin, the disruption of government services is a purposeful tactic being employed by the Sadr movement.
As dusk fell Saturday, protesters set up camp outside parliament.
“We need new faces not the old ones”, said female protester Shatha Jumaa, a 58-year old surgeon.
On Sunday, two suicide attackers from the Islamic State group detonated auto bombs in the city of Samawa, some 230 kilometres (145 miles) south of Baghdad.
For several hours the parliament building was transformed into a site of celebration protesters singing and taking photos in lawmakers’ seats.
IS claimed the attack, saying it used a three-ton truck bomb.
The demonstrators eventually left the Green Zone at the urging of the cleric, who said they would return to the central district on Friday.
Islamic State group militants fighting Iraqi forces in the north and west regularly target security personnel and Shiite civilians whom they consider apostates.
“Sadr threatens to use the power of his followers to achieve the government reshuffle, which could result in significant bloodshed from both his followers and government forces”.
A report by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq has estimated that 1,119 Iraqis were killed and 1,561 others wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict across Iraq during March. On Saturday, an IS-claimed bombing in a market filled with Shiite civilians in Baghdad killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others.
A state of emergency was declared in Baghdad after the protests.
The political strife has prompted concern from the USA, which sees the stability of the government in Baghdad as critical to the fight against Islamic State.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari announced that Iran is ready to facilitate dialogue among all political factions in Iraq to help settle their existing differences. “We gave them so much time, and each time they said the next day and the next day”.
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The statement said the protest would resume Friday, when protesters will demand the dismissal of the President, Prime Minister and speaker. “I can tell you Daesh is very happy that there are these demonstrations in Baghdad”, he said, explaining that the instability in the Iraqi capital was pulling security forces away from the front-line fight against the Islamic State and from the perimeter security of the Iraqi capital.
