Armed clashes between supporters of Imam Moqtada al-Sadr and members of the paramilitary Shia militia Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq are taking place in Basra province, Al Jazeera TV reported on Thursday.
As a result of the clashes, one person was killed and two were wounded. The governor of the province, As'ad al-Eidani, ordered the security forces to pull additional units to the area of clashes.
According to Alsumaria, fighters from the Sarayat al Salam (Peace Companies) paramilitary groups affiliated with Imam al-Sadr are also participating in the clashes.
On Monday, hundreds of supporters of al-Sadr, who has announced his retirement from politics, occupied Baghdad's Green Zone, where government offices and foreign embassies are located, surrounded the Palace of the Republic and entered the building. The protests escalated into armed clashes with security forces trying to force the Sadrists out.
Protests also spread to other regions of Iraq. According to the latest figures, the death toll reached 30, more than 300 people were injured.
Unrest in Baghdad was stopped after al-Sadr had demanded from his supporters to vacate the territory near the parliament and the entire "green zone" in the capital within an hour.
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Photo: Ahmed Mahmoud Khudair/Creative Commons 3.0
Based on materials from TASS