Ammar Al-Hakim: to work together to build a strong state

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the head of the Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, warned of repeating the Green Zone events, including the armed clashes between Saraya al-Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, and the security forces.

"In the past two days, we witnessed unfortunate events during which dear blood was spilled ... which make it imperative for us to work harder to build the strong and just state that we have been, and we will continue to call for, as it is the only guarantee not to recur what happened again," Al-Hakim said.

He added, "Our beloved country is experiencing an existential challenge, which requires to favor the language of reason, logic, and dialogue over all narrow factional and partisan interests."

Heavy clashes erupted in Baghdad, killing almost 20 people on Monday, after influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he would quit politics, prompting his loyalists to storm a government palace and fight with rival groups.

As night fell, machine-gun fire and explosions rang out, tracer fire rising into the sky above the Green Zone that houses government headquarters and foreign embassies, in the worst fighting the Iraqi capital has seen in years.