Gunfire hits Iraq’s Green Zone during violent protests

Supporters of an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric fired grenades and rocket-propelled machine guns into Iraq’s Green Zone as security forces returned fire on Tuesday, seriously escalating a months-long political crisis that has gripped the nation

The death toll rose to at least 30 after two days of unrest, officials said.

Supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who resigned suddenly on Monday amid a political impasse, earlier stormed the Green Zone, a once US military stronghold that now houses Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies. At least one country evacuated its diplomatic staff amid the chaos.

Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since al-Sadr’s party won the majority of seats in parliamentary elections in October, but not enough to secure a majority government, prompting months of of fights between different Shiite factions. Al-Sadr refused to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals, and his withdrawal on Monday has catapulted Iraq into political uncertainty and volatility with no clear way out.

PROTESTS IN IRAQ: SEVERAL DEAD, DOZENS INJURED AFTER HUNDREDS OF STORM AT THE GOVERNMENT PALACE, CLASH WITH SECURITY FORCES

Iraqi security forces fire tear gas at supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr inside the government palace, Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.

The violence threatened to deepen the political crisis, although the streets elsewhere in the country remained largely calm and the country’s vital oil continued to flow. Iran closed its borders with Iraq, a sign of Tehran’s concern that chaos could spread.

Live television footage showed al-Sadr’s supporters firing both heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades into the heavily fortified Green Zone through a section of demolished concrete walls. Bystanders, apparently unaware of the danger, filmed the shooting on their cellphones.

As al-Sadr’s forces fired, a line of armored tanks stood on the other side of the barriers surrounding the Green Zone. Huge black smoke at one point billowed over the area, visible from kilometers (miles) away.

At least one injured person was taken away in a three-wheeled rickshaw, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry is seen in the background.

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At least 30 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded, according to two Iraqi medical officials. The toll included two al-Sadr loyalists killed in protests the day before and clashes overnight. Those numbers are expected to rise, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to reporters.

Members of Iraq’s Shia Muslim sect were oppressed when Saddam Hussein ruled the country, but the US-led invasion overturned the political order. Shias are now fighting each other, with Iranian-backed Shias and Iraqi nationalist Shias fighting for power, influence and state resources.

Al-Sadr, a highly influential Shiite cleric, announced that he would resign from Iraqi politics and his furious followers stormed the government palace in response. Monday’s chaos sparked fears that violence could erupt in a country already beset by its worst political crisis in years.

Al-Sadr’a nationalist rhetoric and reform agenda resonate powerfully with his supporters, who largely come from the poorest sectors of Iraqi society and were historically excluded from the political system under Saddam.

His announcement that he will leave politics has implicitly given his supporters the freedom to act as they see fit.

Iranian state television cited unrest and a military-imposed curfew in Iraqi cities as the reason for the border closure. He urged Iranians to avoid any travel to the neighboring country. The decision came as millions prepared to visit Iraq for an annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites, and Tehran encouraged Iranian pilgrims already in Iraq to avoid further travel between cities.

Kuwait, for its part, asked its citizens to leave Iraq. State news agency KUNA also encouraged those hoping to travel to Iraq to delay their plans.

The tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom of Kuwait shares a 254-kilometer (158-mile) long border with Iraq.

The Netherlands evacuated its embassy in the Green Zone, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted early Tuesday.

“There are scenes around the embassy in Baghdad. Our staff are now working at the German embassy elsewhere in the city,” Hoekstra wrote.

Supporters of a prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric fired rocket-propelled grenades into Iraq’s Green Zone as machine-gun fire erupted over them Tuesday, deepening the political chaos gripping the Middle Eastern nation.

Dubai’s long-haul carrier Emirates halted flights to Baghdad on Tuesday due to the ongoing unrest. The carrier said it was “monitoring the situation closely.” He did not say when flights would resume.

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On Monday, protesters loyal to al-Sadr pulled down cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and broke down the palace gates. Many rushed into the palace’s lavish halls and marble halls, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

The Iraqi army announced a nationwide curfew and the interim prime minister suspended cabinet meetings in response to the violence.