Iraq Declares State of Emergency After Green Zone Breach
- U.S. Embassy denies reports its personnel are being evacuated
- United Nations says it's `gravely concerned' by developments
Supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather in the courtyard of celebrations after breaking into Baghdad's heavily fortified 'Green Zone' on April 30.
Photographer: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Iraq declared a state of emergency in Baghdad after supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr breached Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and stormed parliament to protest against corruption and the country’s political paralysis.
Mobile-phone video footage broadcast on Iraqi televisions showed hundreds of al-Sadr’s supporters inside the legislature on Saturday. Al-Sadr earlier accused lawmakers of sectarianism in their selection of ministers and ordered his bloc to withdraw from the parliament session where members were preparing to finish voting on a new cabinet.