Iraq: al Sadr supporters storm Green Zone and parliament

[rooster59]

Iraq: al Sadr supporters storm Green Zone and parliament

Hundreds of supporters of Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone on Saturday and some entered the Iraqi parliament in protest at MPs’ failure to convene for a vote on overhauling the government.

Loyalists to Sadr, whose fighters once controlled swathes of Iraq’s capital, have been demonstrating for weeks at the gates of the heavily-fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies.

A guard at a checkpoint said the protesters were not searched before entering – although an armed group loyal to Sadr was said to have made some rudimentary checks.

Their leader had called on them to pressure the government to reform.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi wants to replace some ministers – chosen to balance Iraq’s divisions – with technocrats to combat corruption. But political parties have resisted the changes.

Sadr’s fighters once controlled significant parts of the city and helped defend it from the so-called Islamic State.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-30

[Thaidream]

Billions of Dollars spent on this 'country' while Americans get poorer and can't get medical care. Time to bring the troops home and let Iraq end up wherever it desires to be. These people are hopeless and America is being used.

[Rancid]

Billions of Dollars spent on this 'country' while Americans get poorer and can't get medical care. Time to bring the troops home and let Iraq end up wherever it desires to be. These people are hopeless and America is being used.

You make a good point, however bear in mind Iraq didn't invite the US in to bomb them into the stone age or starve hundreds of thousands of children to death. The US (and its morally bankrupt coalition of the willing) attacked based on a deliberate filthy lie, it was a very expensive geopolitical move. Oddly those that attacked don't seemed to have benefited at all, the changes in the ME power structure only seems to benefit one country that didn't spill any blood.

Seems Iraqis aren't entirely happy with the corrupt regime that was foisted upon them. Doubt they will be allowed to continue their insurrection, we will hear the usual (CNN type) BS as to why the West needs to maintain control...Iran ISIS, terrorism etc etc.

[wabothai]

Now you can see Bush and clowns how you have created a monster.

Buy yourselves a ticket to The Hague, before they come hunting for you.

[jaidam]

Now you can see Bush and clowns how you have created a monster.

Buy yourselves a ticket to The Hague, before they come hunting for you.

rewriting history may be funny but is not helping this debate. Iraq invaded Kuwait, a US ally. Iraq was a violent dump with outrageous and systematic human rights abuses, and held a threatening stance against western interests. The US did not wake one day and decide to invade Iraq for a crack, and you know it deep down.

Edit to add, in hindsight muslim nations need a brutal strongman such as Saddam. I personally wish he was still there brutalizing his population that deserved him completely.

[derator01]

Please stick to the topic.

[simple1]

,snip>

in hindsight muslim nations need a brutal strongman such as Saddam. I personally wish he was still there brutalizing his population that deserved him completely.

Mods, please permit a reply to the above.

As an example how do you justify Saddam's mass murder of Kurds (estimated 100k plus, including women and children) during the Al Anfal campaign alone, other atrocities against civilians, rape as a tool of terror, death sentence for homosexuals etc etc etc

S

[phantomfiddler]

You only have to look at this man to know that he is as crazy as a sh*thouse rat ! Whatever happened to the art of facereading