SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iran groups clashed with security forces in Baghdad on Friday, expressing their fury over last month’s election result, AFP cited a security source as saying.
Demonstrators from groups loyal to the Hashid al-Shaabi, the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias, threw projectiles and “blocked… access to the [high-security] Green Zone” on three sides, before they were pushed back by police who fired in the air, a security source said, requesting anonymity.
The Hashid’s political arm saw its share of parliamentary seats decline substantially in October’s election, which the group’s supporters have denounced as “fraud.”
Iraq’s Health Ministry confirmed 125 injuries in the clashes, according to Iraqi media.
Militia supporters have pitched tents near the entrance to Baghdad’s Green Zone in an ongoing sit-in, threatening violence unless their grievances are addressed.
Iraq’s October 10 elections reinforced the parliamentary strength of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and saw a sharp decline in that of his adversaries, according to preliminary results.
A final tally from the ballot is expected in the coming weeks, but so far no bloc has a clear mandate.
