Last year, Iraqis took to the polls in renewed hopes of charting a new path to a prosperous, stable and secure future for their country. It was a hard-fought opportunity by an exhausted, wary Iraqi public left with little recourse but to take to the streets in a bid to apply pressure on a gilded political elite in Baghdad. Tragically, at the peak of the nationwide protests,
Iraq descended deeper into chaos Monday after influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced his "definitive retirement" from politics, sparking deadly clashes at Baghdad's presidential palace and potentially opening the door for Iran-backed militia groups to emerge from the turmoil with more power.
Iraq descended deeper into chaos Monday after influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced his "definitive retirement" from politics, sparking deadly clashes at Baghdad's presidential palace and potentially opening the door for Iran-backed militia groups to emerge from the turmoil with more power.
In light of Tehran’s concerted efforts to reverse last year’s electoral setback, it has become too risky to let Baghdad’s nascent democracy simply fend for itself.
BAGHDAD, Iraq Powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, whose bloc won the most seats in Iraq's elections last year, demanded Wednesday that parliament be dissolved and new national polls be called.
This image grab taken from from Al-Iraqiya TV on August 3, 2022, shows Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr de