Iraq’s top Shiite cleric is warning of civil war after a deadly day of violence in which security forces shot dead 40 people in the capital and the southern provinces, calling on lawmakers who to “reconsider” their support for the current government.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani says the parliament that voted the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi is “invited to reconsider its choices in that regard,” in his weekly Friday sermon delivered in the holy city of Najaf.
Al-Sistani also said protesters should distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and those with have malign intentions to coopt their movement.
Anti-government protesters gather on Rasheed Street during clashes with security forces in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Scores of protesters have been shot dead in the last 24 hours, amid spiraling violence in Baghdad and southern Iraq, officials said. (AP PhotoKhalid Mohammed)
Forty protesters were shot dead by security forces in Baghdad and the southern cities of Najaf and Nasiriya on Thursday, one day after the burning of an Iranian consulate.
An anti-government protester uses a slingshot to fire stones at riot police during clashes in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Scores of protesters have been shot dead in the last 24 hours, amid spiraling violence in Baghdad and southern Iraq, officials said. (AP PhotoKhalid Mohammed)
An Iraqi woman holds a national flag while anti-government protesters gather on Rasheed Street during ongoing protests in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. Scores of protesters have been shot dead in the last 24 hours, amid spiraling violence in Baghdad and southern Iraq, officials said. (AP PhotoKhalid Mohammed)