Still high tension in Baghdad, Iraq , after vehement protests by followers of the Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr against the pro-Iranian Shiite armed parties.
As reported by state TV, pro-Sadr demonstrators have occupied the Iraqi parliament again , after last Wednesday's blitz.
At least 60 demonstrators were injured. Protesters announce that they want to continue the occupation with a sit-in.
Shortly before, the Sadrists tore down some of the reinforced concrete barriers and managed to penetrate the Green Zone of Baghdad, the fortified part that houses government offices and foreign diplomacy.
The police forces fired tear gas and used water cannons to repel the crowd, but failed.
The country is still awaiting the appointment of a new president and a prime minister , ten months before the legislative elections of October 2021. Kingmaker and protagonist on the Iraqi political scene, Sadr has launched a campaign of maximum pressure against his opponents, rejecting the their candidate for the post of head of government.
(Unioneonline / D)