Iraqi PM threatens to step down as tensions persist after clashes
Following the bloody clash in Baghdad's Green Zone, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi threatened to vacate the position if the conflict continues.
In a speech late Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi slammed the militias outside of the state for the bloodshed that occurred Aug. 29, holding them responsible for the massacre that lasted 10 hours and left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
“The pure Iraqi blood that was spilled yesterday sends a warning to every principled Iraqi: Today we must face the bitter truth and ensure that the state must have a monopoly over the use of arms,” Kadhimi said.
The intra-Shiite conflict Aug. 29 between a group of factions close to Iran and the Saraya al-Salam faction, which is affiliated with the Sadrist Movement, killed more than 20 people and left over 200 injured.
The clash took place when Sadrist protesters entered the government palace and then a group of militiamen attacked them in the areas around the palace. Soon after, Saraya al-Salam entered the area and confronted the militias.
