Baghdad – 15 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded on Monday in clashes between supporters of Shiite leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, and militants belong to his political rivals in Baghdad and other governorates.
Medical sources indicated that the number of victims of clashes in Iraq rose to 15, and more than 300 others were wounded, according to AFP.
Local media outlets reported on Monday evening that a huge fire broke out in the Green Zone in Baghdad where billows of smoke were seen in the sky.
An Iraqi security source mentioned earlier on Monday that loud explosions resounded through the Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad, amid escalation of clashes in the area. The source added that mortar shells hit the area but their source is unknown.
The Iraqi government imposed a curfew in all Iraqi governorates starting from Monday until further notice.
The government imposed the curfew after supporters of the Iraqi Sadrist movement’s leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, stormed the Green Zone following his announcement to quit politics.
For his part, Muqtada Al-Sadr announced an open-ended hunger strike until the violence stops, according to the head of the Sadrist parliamentary bloc in Iraq, Hassan Al-Adhari.
The Iraqi police used water cannons to disperse protesters in the Green Zone where the government building and foreign embassies are located.
Al-Sadr announcement to withdraw from the political work took place earlier on Monday after the 72-hour deadline he gave last Friday to the Supreme Court to dissolve the parliament expired.
The Iranian Ministry of Interior announced on Monday the closure of land borders with Iraq until further notice.The Iranian Ministry of Interior mentioned that the land borders with Iraq have been closed until further notice due to the developments related to the security situation in this country. It also called on people wishing to visit Iraq not to go through land borders, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) issued a statement on Monday calling on protesters to immediately leave Baghdad’s Green Zone, vacate all governmental buildings and allow the government to continue its responsibilities