Monitoring Desk
NAJAF: Hundreds of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of Iraq’s holy city of Najaf, returning to the site of deadly clashes with supporters of influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr the night before.
The crowd on Thursday decried violence as they rallied through the streets of the southern city, saying they planned to re-establish a protest camp that had become their focal point amid months-long demonstrations calling for a complete overhaul of Iraq’s political system.
“We came to Sadrayn Square which al-Sadr’s supporters had taken over from us yesterday,” Muslim Abbas, a 21-year-old student in Najaf, told Al Jazeera as the rally came to an end.
“We do not want any more violence or clashes. We just want to set up our tents again,” he said, adding that al-Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam militia, also known as the blue hats due to their signature headgear, did not attempt to stop the crowds from entering the site.
It was a different scene on Wednesday evening when clashes erupted as al-Sadr’s supporters moved in to forcibly remove the demonstrators after the Shia leader called his followers to assist security forces in clearing roads and ensuring the reopening of schools and businesses after months of protests.
After the anti-government protesters attempted to stop al-Sadr’s supporters from entering the square, the blue hats responded by hurling petrol bombs and burning the protesters’ tents while gunfire rang out, according to witnesses.
At least seven people were killed and more than 120 others wounded, Ali al-Bayati of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission told Al Jazeera. Medical sources in Najaf put the death toll at nine. An al-Sadr supporter told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the Shia leader’s followers were still in control of the square.
“Sadrists aren’t responsible for the situation that escalated. It’s those who tried to keep us out. But we’ve dealt with them,” said a member of Saray al-Salam, who did not wish to share his name. “The square is still under our control, but peaceful protesters are allowed in,” he added.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who remains in a caretaker capacity after stepping down in November amid pressure from the protest movement, called on Thursday for the establishment of a committee to investigate the events in Najaf.
Meanwhile, Najaf’s Governor Luay al-Yassiri announced that public services and classes would be suspended on Thursday, with Iraqi media reporting that he also held emergency discussions with Iraq’s Minister of Interior Yasin al-Yassri, who arrived in the city the previous night.
As the events unfolded on Wednesday, Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mohamed Allawi called for calm in a post on Twitter. Describing the situation as “painful”, he called on Abdul Mahdi’s caretaker government to “protect protesters until a new government which responds to the public’s demands is formed”.
The deadly incident on Wednesday is part of a string of violent clashes between al-Sadr’s supporters and anti-government protesters amid a widening divide between the two sides. (Aljazeera)
