Now, he has turned his sights to Iraq’s corrupt halls of power, and the dramatic storming of Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone last week by his followers has shaken Iraq’s political system. It has dramatically ramped up pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to implement reforms he has promised. But it has also caused a backlash against the rabble-rousing cleric — some politicians accuse him of holding the country to ransom and using his call for reform for the purpose of increasing his personal influence. It has deepened divides in Iraq’s Shiite community, and new blast walls were erected on bridges around the Green Zone on Friday by a premier desperate to prove his mettle after the breach that undermined his credibility.
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference in the holy Shiite city of Najaf
Meanwhile, the cleric has riled Iranian-backed Shiite militias in the country, creating a new level of unpredictability to a country already so fragile. “The big question is the potential for things to get ugly, and we’ve already seen glimpses of that,” said Hayder al-Khoei, an Iraq analyst at the London-based Chatham House think-tank. Sadr has long been an agitator of the West, but he also has a thorny history with Iran, despite studying there and at points taking its money to fund his militias. He espouses a strong Arab nationalist platform, and presents himself as a champion of the downtrodden impoverished Shiite masses, from where he draws most support.
Although Iraq is deeply divided along Sunni-Shiite lines, the tension within the Shiite community is driving the current crisis. “Out, out Iran,” Sadr’s supporters had chanted as they gathered in the Green Zone, after ransacking parliament. They had also turned on Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander who has led efforts against the Islamic State, both in Iraq and Syria. “America and Iran have split the cake of Iraq between them, and each is having their share,” said Salah Hassan, a 33-year-old fighter with Sadr’s militia, the Peace Brigades. “People say the Shiites are loyal to Iran, but we are only loyal to Sadr.”
Iraqi protesters climb a pole with their national flags in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone
As Sadr’s followers stormed the Green Zone, his militiamen took position around its perimeter. In response, the Khorasani Brigades, an Iranian proxy militia, and others closer to Tehran, deployed heavily on the streets of Baghdad. Other militias close to Iran pulled fighters back from the country’s conflict zones. “It’s not outside the realms of possibility for them to turn their guns on each other,” Khoei said. The Peace Brigades, a reformation of the notorious Mahdi Army that waged war against U.S. soldiers in 2004, is at the heart of Sadr’s power. Its members are die-hard and have clashed with the state in the past.
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Originally Posted by waltky
