BAGHDAD, IRAQ – On August 29th, protests and riots reportedly broke out in Baghdad, which has resulted in the U.S. Embassy reportedly being evacuated and a curfew being imposed following the Presidential Palace being breached. According to officials, the unrest was sparked due to a prominent Iraqi Shia cleric announcing their exit from politics.
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Following the news that Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr confirmed his leaving of politics within the country, unrest broke out within Baghdad’s Green Zone.
With the violence playing out within the city, U.S. Embassy employees were reportedly evacuated from the Green Zone via helicopter. Video captured from within the Presidential Palace showed scores of protesters engaged in violent clashes with palace personnel.
Additional video captured during the protests showcased gunfire going off, although it is unclear as to what the level of casualties currently are.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s office released a statement urging Muqtada al-Sadr “to help call on the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions” while additionally confirming that all meetings slated within the Presidential Palace have been suspended until further notice.
A statement from Iraq’s military on the matter reads, “The security forces affirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions, and public and private properties. Dealing with peaceful demonstrations is done through the constitution and laws, and the security forces will do their duty to protect security and stability.”
The Iraqi military also confirmed the enactment of a curfew that begins at 3:30 p.m. local time in Baghdad and 7:00 p.m. local time in the remainder of the country, with the curfew remaining in effect until further notice.
In recent weeks, there have been growing concerns that general “unrest” would manifest into something akin to what broke out on August 29th, with the U.S. Embassy releasing a statement roughly a week prior acknowledging that they were “monitoring reports of unrest” within Iraq’s capital.
“We urge all parties to remain calm, abstain from violence, and resolve any political differences through a peaceful process guided by the Iraqi constitution. We also call for those demonstrating to respect the proceedings and property of Iraq’s governmental institutions, which belong to and serve the Iraqi people.”
In reality, the stage for political unrest within Iraq was set as far back as October of 2021 after Muqtada al-Sadr’s party managed to win most of the seats in the country’s election – but the attained seats weren’t enough to form a majority government.
This led to strife fomenting between Iran-backed Shiites from within Iraq’s government, as the parties weren’t entertaining the creation of a consensus-driven government. For the past several weeks, Muqtada al-Sadr’s supporters had been staging sit-ins at government institutions.
However, with Muqtada al-Sadr’s party seeing multiple key figures resigning – such as Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri on August 28th – Muqtada al-Sadr opted to follow suit and leave the world of politics, thereby resulting in his supporters taking out their ire against the current government.
This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on August 29, 2022. It originally appeared on RedVoiceMedia.com and is used with permission.
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