SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi urged help from Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to withdraw the protesters in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Monday despite announcing retirement from political life.
Earlier today, thousands of pro-Sadr supporters flowed into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone after the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he had retired from political life
Followers of the influential Shiite cleric stormed Iraq’s government palace, including the presidential palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries, for the first time.
In a statement Baghdad, joint operation command set a city-wide curfew for civilians and vehicles to prevent further escalation.
“We call on his eminence Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr, who has always supported the state and emphasized his respect for the security forces, to call on the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions,” Kadhimi said in a statement.
In a tweet, the cleric said he was withdrawing from politics and ordered the closure of his party offices.
Monday’s announcement raised fears that Sadr’s supporters might escalate their protests without their leader to closely control them, which could further destabilize Iraq.
Al-Sadr emerged as a major power since the October elections gaining 73 seats out of 329, but failed to form a majority government, leading to what has become one of the worst political crises in Iraq in recent years.
His Party, the Sadrist movement later resigned from parliament and his supporters last month stormed the parliament building in Baghdad. Al-Sadr has demanded that parliament be dissolved and early elections held.
