Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr withdrew Tuesday from Baghdad’s Green Zone after he demanded an end to fighting between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 30 dead and hundreds wounded.
The violence that erupted on Monday pitted Sadr loyalists against Shiite factions backed by neighbouring Iran, with the sides exchanging gunfire across barricades — violence that prompted Iraq’s president to push for early elections to exit the crisis.
Sadr, a grey-bearded preacher with millions of devoted followers who once led a militia against American and Iraqi government forces, gave followers “60 minutes” to withdraw after which he would threaten to “disavow” those who remained.
“I apologise to the Iraqi people, the only ones affected by the events,” Sadr said in a speech from his base in the central city of Najaf.
READ: IRAQ’S MOQTADA AL-SADR CALLS ON SUPPORTERS TO END BAGHDAD PROTESTS
“Shame on this revolution… Regardless of who was the initiator, this revolution, as long as it is marred by violence, is not a revolution,” he said.
“I thank the security forces and members of Hashed al-Shaabi,” he added.
In a later tweet, he called on the authorities to compensate the families of victims.
After Sadr’s speech was broadcast live on television, his supporters started dismantling encampments and clearing the Green Zone, where municipal workers began cleaning up shells and bullet casings left in the wake of the unrest.
The army lifted a nationwide curfew, with concrete barriers removed from main thoroughfares and traffic slowly starting to trickle back to its normal flow.
As calm returned on Tuesday, President Barham Saleh encouraged “new, early elections in accordance with a national consensus,” saying they could provide “an exit from the stifling crisis”.
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