Curfew declared in Iraqi capital as cleric’s supporters storm presidential palace

By Mahmoud Barakat
ANKARA (AA) – Iraq’s Joint Operations Command declared curfew in the capital Baghdad on Monday as supporters of influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the presidential palace.

The move came shortly after al-Sadr announced his total withdrawal from politics amid a months-long political crisis in the country.

On Saturday, al-Sadr called on the country’s political parties to step aside and hold early elections to help solve Iraq’s months-long political crisis.

He also called for eliminating all parties and personalities that participated in the political process since the US occupation in 2003, from the political scene in Iraq.