Iraqi police announced that four rockets were fired from eastern Baghdad and landed near the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital, where government buildings and foreign missions are located, amid escalating political turmoil. Two police officers stated that there were no reports of casualties so far, and no group has claimed responsibility. Supporters and offices of several Shiite armed factions are present in eastern Baghdad. A similar attack on Wednesday resulted in injuries to seven Iraqi security forces members in the Green Zone, seemingly adding a new dimension to the fierce competition among power-hungry politicians.
The Green Zone has witnessed repeated attacks over the past years, although these were typically directed at Western targets and carried out by Iranian-backed factions. In recent months, such attacks had become rare. The shelling occurred yesterday while parliament was voting on the rejection of its speaker's resignation. Iraq has been in a political crisis, remaining without a government for nearly a year following elections held in October last year. The crisis is largely centered around Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a coalition of political factions and armed groups, most of which are allied with Iran.
Sadr, the biggest winner in the recent elections, withdrew all of his parliamentary members in June and vowed not to allow parliament to convene for fear of other parties forming a government without him. The political dispute escalated into street clashes that resulted in dozens of deaths in central Baghdad in August. Many Iraqis are concerned about the possibility of a repeat of such violence.
