BAGHDAD – Thousands of Iraqi anti-government students took to the streets on Tuesday, defying influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who recently abandoned the popular movement.
A security official told EFE on condition of anonymity that al-Sadr followers, also called “the blue hats,” attacked demonstrators with batons and sharp objects in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, leaving 10 wounded.
The injured were admitted to nearby field hospitals, according to the source.
Anti-Sadr rallies also took place in the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Najaf and Diwaniya but no clashes were reported.
Al-Sadr backed the rallies when they first erupted in October but withdrew his support for the anti-government protests last month after US airstrike killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
The cleric called a demonstration late January to demand the withdrawal of the US troops; however, al-Sadr followers accused protesters of attacking them and boycotting the religious leader’s call.
Al-Sadr then urged the blue hats to help security forces and restore calm on the streets of Iraq.
In a tweet, al-Sadr made an attempt Tuesday to calm the tensions that have been high in protest squares in recent days.
“The ‘blue hats’ have a duty to peacefully secure schools and service centers, not to defend me or suppress the voices that chant against me,” he said.
These protests come after Iraqi President Barham Saleh nominated Mohamed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister on Saturday, after two months of deadlock.
Allawi was appointed to replace former premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned in November, bowing to the pressure of the protests.
Al-Sadr hailed the appointment of Allawi and promised to support him.
Iraq has been in the grip of mass protests since early October, with demonstrators demanding a new government and parliament, as well as an overhaul of the country’s political system that has been in place since the 2003 US-led invasion.
At least 500 people have been killed and 25,000 others injured in violence since the rallies started, according to rights groups.