30 killed in Iraq unrest after cleric's resignation
Baghdad, August 30
Supporters of an Iraqi Shiite cleric fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns into Iraq’s Green Zone as security forces returned fire on Tuesday, seriously escalating a month-long political crisis gripping the nation.
The toll rose to 30 after two days of unrest, officials said.
Those backing cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who resigned suddenly on Monday amid a political impasse, earlier stormed the Green Zone, once the stronghold of the US military that’s now home to Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies. Many rushed to the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.
Iraq’s military announced a nationwide curfew, and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions. — AP
