Thirty people have been killed in fighting in Iraq between rival Shia militias, as well as the Iraqi security forces, after the powerful religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr claimed that he was withdrawing from politics.
Al-Sadr’s announcement on Monday led to his supporters converging on sites in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where they stormed the Republican Palace where the government is based. They also confronted supporters of their rivals, the Iran-backed Coordination Framework alliance, leading to fighting between the two groups.
