– I hereby announce my final withdrawal, Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr wrote on Twitter on Monday. The Shia leader will no longer interfere in political matters, he adds. A short time later, security sources state that al-Sadr’s supporters have stormed the government palace in Baghdad. Two people have been killed and 19 injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces, reports Reuters. Supporters of al-Sadr react to smoke outside the government’s headquarters in the capital Baghdad’s Green Zone. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP The army in Iraq has now introduced a curfew throughout the country. It started at 19:00 local time, reports the Reuters news agency. The demonstrators must also be on their way to the so-called green zone. During the election in October last year, al-Sadr’s group won 73 of the 329 seats in the National Assembly. After a long period of political crisis in the country, the religious leader decided in June to withdraw himself and all group members from the national assembly. The purpose was to soften the political situation in Iraq. Moqtada al-Sadr’s supporters resented the withdrawal, and criticized him for giving other blocs the opportunity to form a government. On two occasions in July, al-Sadr’s supporters stormed Iraq’s National Assembly.
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Protesters storm the government palace in Baghdad – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
