SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Pro-Sadr protesters storm parliament in Iraq's Green Zone
Baghdad, July 27 (AFP) Jul 27, 2022
Supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr on Wednesday stormed parliament after penetrating the capital's high-security government Green Zone, protesting against a rival bloc's nomination for prime minister.

Protesters "stormed the parliament" after initially being stopped by police firing a barrage of tear gas, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

State agency INA said on messaging app Telegram that "protesters have entered the parliament building".

The heavily fortified Green Zone is home to government buildings and diplomatic missions.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi called on the protesters to "immediately withdraw" from the Green Zone.

He warned in a statement that security forces would see to "the protection of state institutions and foreign missions, and prevent any harm to security and order".

An AFP correspondent in the Green Zone had earlier seen protesters carrying a fellow demonstrator who had been hurt.

Sadr's bloc won 73 seats in Iraq's October 2021 election, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.

But since the vote, talks to form a new government have stalled.

The oil-rich country remains mired in a political and a socioeconomic crisis, despite elevated global oil prices.

The protesters oppose the candidacy of Mohammed al-Sudani, a former minister and ex-provincial governor, who is the pro-Iran Coordination Framework's pick for premier.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
NASA picks Firefly Aerospace for ambitious 2029 lunar rover and instrument delivery
Team led by MDA Space to define future of Canadian lunar vehicle program
Lunar soil machine developed to build bricks using sunlight

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Designing compact drones to safely navigate air ducts
Map Africa project to deliver continentwide geospatial data for 54 nations
The complex relationship between fusion fuel and lithium walls

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Boeing X37B Spaceplane Prepares for Eighth Orbital Test Mission
Israel military intercepts Huthi missile fired from Yemen; Gaza civil defence says Israel strikes kill 30
BlackSky secures next stage of Navy contract for optical satellite link upgrades

24/7 News Coverage
Cosmic dust particles reveal snapshot of Earth's ancient air
Spire to Provide ESA with Satellite Weather Data for European Research
Gaza seen from above: debris and darkness



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.