133 People Injured in Clashes Between Protesters, Security Forces as Iraqi Parliament Convenes

A total of 133 people, including 122 members of the security forces and 11 protesters, were injured during demonstrations on Wednesday as the Iraqi parliament reconvened after being suspended for nearly two months. The violent clashes with security forces broke out after the protesters – mainly supporters of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr – who were demonstrating in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, removed concrete barriers and attempted to cross al-Jumhouriyah Bridge and approach the Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi parliament and government ministries, as well as foreign embassies and the homes of some political leaders. While parliament met Wednesday for the first time since July 30, when thousands of al-Sadr’s supporters staged a sit-in at the legislature, three rockets landed in the Green Zone, wounding seven people. A spokesman for Iraq’s military commander-in-chief said in a statement that one of the rockets landed in front of the parliament building, damaging nearby vehicles and buildings. Ongoing disputes between Shiite parties have prevented the formation of a new Iraqi government and the election of a new president by the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority of parliament.