Protesters withdraw from Baghdad's Green Zone
Following Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's order, his followers have withdrawn completely from the Green Zone and evacuated the parliament building.
At a press conference at noon in Baghdad, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, ordered his followers to withdraw from the Green Zone within 60 minutes.
They quickly complied and have withdrawn from all their positions, including the parliament building that was previously occupied by them a month ago.
Bloody clashes erupted early Monday evening between Sadrist-affiliated fighters and rival Shiite groups. Members of the Popular Mobilization Units, Shiite militias that are on the government's payroll, and Saraya al-Salam, a Sadrist militia, engaged in fighting in the Green Zone that continued until midnight, using heavy weapons including rockets and RPGs.
The clashes left at least 20 dead and injured around 200.
