Civilian killed as Iraq's powerful Sadr quits politics and clashes erupt

Shafaq News / a civilian was killed in Baghdad on Monday after a decision by Iraq's powerful Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to quit politics over a political deadlock prompted clashes between his supporters and backers of Iran-backed rivals.

Multiple suffocation cases have been reported among media persons covering the protests inside Baghdad's ultra-secure Green Zone as security forces attempt to disperse the protestors using gas.

According to our correspondent in the Iraqi capital, a Shafaq News Agency cameraman suffered from suffocation when the security forces used tear gas to fend off the protestors, mainly supporters of the Sadrist movement, attempting to storm the government building.

Our correspondent said that equipment that belonged to reporters from other agencies were destroyed.