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Iraq crisis: Protesters storm Baghdad's Green Zone again | Iraq crisis: Protesters storm Baghdad's Green Zone again |
(35 minutes later) | |
Security forces in Iraq fired tear gas and live bullets when anti-government protesters stormed Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone for the second time this month. | |
Several people were wounded. | |
The demonstrators, mostly supporters of Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr, are angry at delays in tackling corruption and failures to provide security. | |
Some protesters tried to storm the prime minister's office and Baghdad authorities have declared a curfew. | |
The curfew will remain in place until further notice, state TV reports. | |
The protesters accuse the government of neglecting much-needed reforms, as it struggles with its campaign against the so-called Islamic State group (IS) and declining oil revenues. | |
The Sunni jihadist group controls parts of western and northern Iraq and has been behind a wave of recent attacks that have left dozens killed. | |
Earlier this month, hundreds of demonstrators knocked down concrete blast walls and broke into the parliament building. | Earlier this month, hundreds of demonstrators knocked down concrete blast walls and broke into the parliament building. |
The Green Zone area of Baghdad houses parliament, key government buildings and many foreign embassies. | |
Who is Moqtada Sadr? | |
The Shia cleric and his militia group, the Mehdi Army, gained prominence after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. galvanising anti-US sentiment. | |
Mr Sadr's followers clashed repeatedly with US forces, whose withdrawal the cleric consistently demanded. | |
An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Sadr in 2004 in connection with the murder of a rival cleric. | |
His militia was also blamed for the torture and killing of thousands of Sunnis in the sectarian carnage of 2006 and 2007. Mr Sadr fled to Iran during that period. | |
In 2011, Mr Sadr returned from his self-imposed exile to Iraq, taking a more conciliatory tone and calling for Iraqi unity and peace. | |
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. who came to power in 2014, has promised to stamp out corruption and ease sectarian tensions. | |
Iraq's system of sharing government jobs has long been criticised for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption. | |
The government is carefully balanced between party and religious loyalties but the country ranks 161st of 168 on corruption watchdog Transparency International's corruption perceptions index. |