Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters occupied this ultra-secure enclave in the Iraqi capital, asked them to leave the place at the end of the morning.
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Is this the end of the crisis? Supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, began Tuesday, August 30, to leave the Green Zone in Baghdad after the call of their leader. They had invaded this ultra-secure enclave of the Iraqi capital the day before, the latest episode in a political crisis that has paralyzed the country for months.
At the end of the morning, Moqtada al-Sadr gave “60 mins” to his fighters to withdraw from the Green Zone, failing which he threatened to “disavow”. “I apologize to the Iraqi people, the only ones affected by the events”added Moqtada al-Sadr during a press conference in his stronghold of Najaf (center of the country).
“Shame on this revolution. No matter who initiated it, this revolution, as long as it is tainted with violence, is not a revolution.he denounced. I criticize the sadrist movement. I thank the security forces and the members of Hashd Al-Chaabi”.
Before this declaration, the peace brigades, an armed faction at his command, confronted the Hachd Al-Chaabi, former paramilitaries integrated into the security forces, and the Iraqi army in the Green Zone. The fighting left 23 dead in the ranks of the Sadrists, according to an official report.
After his announcement, the guns fell silent and the army announced the lifting of the national curfew introduced the day before in this country plagued by a political impasse.