The influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protesters to leave Baghdad’s Green Zone within an hour, after two days of violence that left many in Iraq fearing a new phase of political chaos.
Muqtada al-Sadr’s move thrust the country, which has gone months without a new government, deeper into crisis. Security forces opened fire on protesters supporting him, an official said.
Followers of the Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr set up a tent city to blockade Parliament, paralyzing any progress toward forming a new government.