State of emergency in Baghdad as thousands of protestors, enter Green Zone

http://youtu.be/K_6TcxLFtc4/ 00:53

State of emergency in Baghdad as thousands of protesters enter green zone, storm parliament

Published on Apr 30, 2016

Hundreds of supporters of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who have been protesting corruption, have stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone. Some have entered the parliament buildings, according to Reuters.
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http://on.rt.com/7bh6/
* 2 Videos, 3 pics & tweets *

Anti-corruption protesters storm Baghdad’s Green Zone, enter parliament

Hundreds of supporters of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who have been protesting corruption, have stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone. Some have entered the parliament buildings, according to Reuters.

The demonstrators decided to break into a heavily fortified area, which holds government buildings and numerous foreign embassies after lawmakers failed to pass a vote on making changes to the current Iraqi government.

Shouting “the cowards ran away,” in reference to the MPs who were leaving the parliament building, they managed to make their way into the Green Zone and subsequently into the parliament building. The demonstrators smashed glass and furniture, while another group set a vehicle on fire.

A spokesman for the United Nations and four Western diplomats who were inside the Green Zone said their compounds were in lockdown. They denied reports that staff at the missions had been evacuated.

There were no reports of any clashes between the security forces and the protesters, while no curfew has been imposed, according to two security officials who spoke to Reuters.

A Kurdish MP is currently trapped inside the parliament building, the Rudaw news network reported.

A guard at one of the checkpoints said the demonstrators had not been searched before entering the area, Reuters reports. The breach will come as an embarrassment to the Iraqi government: the protesters were able to get through what should have been a heavily secured area.

The protesters were waving Iraqi flags and were chanting “peaceful, peaceful,” while others were standing on the outer wall of the Green Zone. There were thousands more demonstrators waiting outside the gates of the fortified area.

Some of the protesters subsequently left the parliament building having been instructed to do so by al-Sadr. Meanwhile, al-Sadr himself said that he could “destroy” Iraq’s government.

“I am promising you that I will not make any agreements with other politicians. I work for the benefit of the nation,” Sadr said in a speech in the holy city of Najaf, as cited by Rudaw.

“If the nation lets me I can end the current government and form a new one without any corruption,” he added.

There are reports on social media that some of the protesters are heading towards Baghdad Airport in order to try and prevent the MPs from leaving the capital.

The Russian Embassy in Baghdad continuing to work as normal, a member of the diplomatic mission told RIA.

“We are keeping an eye on how events are developing, especially around the parliament. However, the local press is reporting that the protests are peaceful in nature,” said Aleksandr Kozin, the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Baghdad.

Protesters supporting al-Sadr have been gathering outside the Green Zone since March 18, taking part in sit-ins. Al-Sadr wants Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to replace his cabinet with people from outside the party in order to tackle rampant corruption.

Joaquin Flores from the Independent Journalists Association for Peace spoke to RT and said that Abadi finds himself in a difficult position in trying to appease different groups, who have a diverse range of goals.

“He is between a rock and a hard place. Any concessions he makes will show signs of weakness. On the other hand, continuing the line that he is on will ultimately undermine his authority,” he said.

Abadi was expected to announce five new members on Saturday, but the session was eventually postponed, which was the catalyst for the subsequent violence.

The influential cleric believes “all the ministers should be changed” and he would like to see “a revolution against corruption.”

Despite his tough line against the government, al-Sadr had implored his followers not to resort to violence. The cleric also praised the police for “their cooperation and devotion to their people.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-blast-idUSKCN0XR05X?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29/

Bomb attack on Shi'ite pilgrims in Baghdad kills at least 19: sources | Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 19 people and wounded 48 others on Saturday in an attack claimed by Islamic State on a group of Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraqi police sources said.

A second explosion near a Shi'ite militia checkpoint in the capital's Dora district killed two and wounded three others, police sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that blast.

Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said a fighter in the Nahrawan district had driven a truck loaded with three tonnes of explosives into the gathering of Shi'ite pilgrims. They had been heading to Baghdad's Imam Kadhim shrine to commemorate the 8th century death of one of Shi'ite Islam's senior figures.

Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, which was the target of daily bombings a decade ago, but attacks against both the security forces and civilians are still frequent.

The rise of Islamic State, which is fighting government forces for control of swathes of northern and western Iraq, has exacerbated the country's sectarian conflict, mostly between Shi'ites and Sunnis, which emerged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Also on Saturday Islamic State militants launched an offensive near the northern town of Baiji, which Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militia fighters recaptured months ago along with a large oil refinery devastated by the conflict.

In the first set of attacks on Friday evening near Siniya west of Baiji, Islamic State seized four security checkpoints, according to sources in Salahuddin operations command. The militants used car bombs, killing 11 members of the security forces and wounding 12 others.

From the eastern side of Baiji, the militants attacked security forces near Makhoul, killing three police officers and wounding two others in fighting that continued on Saturday, the sources said.
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RAW: Deadly car blast targeting Shiite piligrims

http://youtu.be/IgdlECquQSo/
00:26 RT News

Thousands of protesters break into Baghdad 'Green Zone

http://youtu.be/knsgj3tgNCo/
00:46 - AFP TV
* Not in English *

24 killed, dozens wounded in a truck bomb in Baghdad

http://youtu.be/1KnOTiBXX8E/ 00:37 - CCTV
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Supporters of prominent Shiite cleric storm Baghdad Green Zone

http://youtu.be/kfgVaaxdjnc/
00:24 CCTV

Published on Apr 30, 2016

Hundreds of supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed on Saturday the heavily-fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad to hold a sit-in in front of the parliament building. Dozens of the demonstrators broke into the main gate of the government district and many others jumped over the barbed wire fences into the zone that houses the main government offices, including the parliament and FOREIGN EMBASSIES.

Feeling a bit left out, Chirag says hello....

""CHICAGO -- Despite calls for a peaceful Mother's Day weekend, police say at least nine people were killed and 41 others injured across Chicago since Friday evening.
Among the dead, a 51-year-old man was stabbed to death during an attempted robbery. The incident happened at 12:30 a.m. Monday near 45th and Drexel in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
On Sunday, 16-year-old Nathan Hicks was shot multiple times in the 3400 block of West Arthington Street.
Keon Lewis was shot to death while driving his car on north Lake Shore Drive early Sunday.
And late Saturday, 58-year-old Andres Rivera was shot to death while eating dinner at his kitchen table in the 5200 block of South Kolin Avenue.""
http://wgntv.com/2016/05/09/at-least-9-killed-41-injured-in-mothers-day-weekend-violence-across-chicago/

Chi-Town Guncontrol sure works!

"CHICAGO -- Despite calls for a peaceful Mother's Day weekend, police say at least nine people were killed and 41 others injured across Chicago since Friday evening.


Mother's day!?

Well.. They didn't do a very good job did they?
But then again.. How can any society expect women to act like real mothers when they are impregnated by men who don't act like real men & fathers?

But...Bush had the "mission accomplished" banner, Obama said the war was over, brought the troops back, saved the global economy, and people say he brought peace to the middle east. Not to mention Matt Damon made the Green Zone movie to fix everything else...so...this can't really be happening.
Left/right wing HillaryTrump lies!

Obonzo smiles with maniacal glee,
everytime his terrorist brethren are able
to cause turmoil, ANYWHERE.