The 2021 Baghdad clashes were a civil conflict between Iraqi protesters and Iraqi security forces following the 2021 Iraqi election. The protestors were supporters of Iran-backed militias and political parties. The clashes left two dead and more than 125 injured.

Background

The violence was fueled by the results of the 2021 Iraqi election which took place in October. Supporters of pro-Iranian groups, which suffered large losses in the polls, tried to storm the Green Zone, they threw stones at security forces, who fired tear gas and shot in the air to disperse the crowd. The protestors were mainly people affiliated with Iran-backed militias and Pro-Iran political parties. Some of the militias were Kata'ib Hezbollah,

Asaib Ahl al-Haq Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH; ar, عصائب أهل الحق Aṣaʾib ʾAhl al-Haqq, "League of the Righteous"), also known as the Khazali Network ( ar, شبكة الخزعلي), is a radical Iraqi Shi'a political party and paramilitary group active ...

Badr Organization The Badr Organization ( ar, منظمة بدر ''Munaẓẓama Badr''), previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political party and military organization headed by Hadi Al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade was the Ir ...

(militia wing),

Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Kata'ib al-Imam Ali ( ar, كتائب الإمام علي, ''Kataʾib al-ʾImām ʿAlīy''), also known as the Imam Ali Battalions, are the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq (Harakat al-Iraq al-Islamiyah) and serve as part of the umbrel ...

and

Quwat al-Shaheed al-Sadr Quwat al-Shaheed al-Sadr, translated as the Army of Martyr Sadr, is an Iraqi militia. They are officially known as the 25th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces. It is the military wing of the Islamic Dawa Party, which is led by Nouri al-Ma ...

(militia wing of the Islamic Dawa Party), which are all part of the PMF. Some of the political parties were the Islamic Dawa Party, and the Fatah Alliance, which includes the

Badr Organisation The Badr Organization ( ar, منظمة بدر ''Munaẓẓama Badr''), previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political party and military organization headed by Hadi Al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade was the Ir ...

(political wing), the Al-Sadiqoun Bloc (the political wing of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq), and much more, the Fatah Alliance are all close allies of the PMF.

Clashes

It was the first major clash between in Iraq since the election. Protesters threw stones and tried storming into the Green Zone, an area in Baghdad which holds all government buildings and embassies. Protesters threw projectiles and blocked all access to the Green Zone, until police pushed them out. Police fired at the protesters and also used tear gas. Security forces were accused of burning tents set up by protesters.

Aftermath

The clashes left 125 people injured and two people dead. 21 protesters were injured by smoke inhalation, and nine police officers were hurt from getting stones thrown at them. Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi ordered a full investigation into the events, while President Barham Salih called for restraint. Nouri Al-Maliki, former Prime Minister of Iraq, said on Twitter that “protesters were ‘claiming their legitimate rights’, but should not have fueled the violence and should’ve avoided provoking security forces in the first place”. Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iran-backed

, condemned the violence and urged justice for the wounded demonstrators. In Khazali’s own words, “Whoever they were, they must be held accountable”, referring to the security forces. Two days later on the 7 November, an

assassination attempt This is a list of survivors of assassination attempts, listed chronologically. It does ''not'' include those who were heads of state or government at the time of the assassination attempt. See List of heads of state and government who survived as ...

was made on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi via a drone strike. The PM survived the attack unharmed but resulted in six of his bodyguards being injured. The security forces opened fire on demonstrators, leading to at least two deaths. The

was connected to these protests, as a militia source who requested to remain anonymous said it was done by a Shia militia, most likely

Kataib Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah ( ar, كتائب حزب الله, lit=Battalions of the Party of God)—or the Hezbollah Battalions—is a radical Shia Islam in Iraq, Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces backed by ...

. The weapons used in the assassination attempt were made in Iran.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baghdad clashes, 2021 2021 murders in Iraq 2021 protests 2021 riots 2021 clashes 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis November 2021 crimes in Asia November 2021 events in Iraq Electoral violence Protests in Iraq Riots and civil disorder in Iraq 2021 in Baghdad

Background

Clashes

Aftermath

See also

References