Iraq: Gunfire in Baghdad as Sadr loyalists storm govt palace, clash with pro-Iran rivals

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad after an influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr announced his withdrawal from politics on Monday. Angry followers used ropes to pull down cement barriers leading to palace gates and clashed with security forces, sparking fears of violence in a country already beset with its worst political crisis in years. Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since Muqtada al-Sadr’s party won the most seats in last year's parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority government. Since then he has refused to negotiate with Iran-backed Shiite rivals to form a consensus government. Iraq’s military announced curfew on in the hopes of calming rising tensions.

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