Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has asked his supporters to stand down from Baghdad’s government quarter following violent protests on Monday that saw more than 20 people killed.
Hundreds of people stormed the Green Zone in the city, sparking clashes with security forces, after Mr al-Sadr announced he is quitting Iraqi politics and ordered the closure of his party offices.
Several demonstrators were wounded by gunfire and a dozen more were injured by tear gas and altercations with riot police, medical officials said.
At least 22 people have been killed, officials said.
Mr al-Sadr told loyalists that they should leave the government quarter within an hour and minutes after the address, people could be seen leaving.
“This is not a revolution,” the cleric said in a televised address, which followed pleas for restraint and peace from Iraqi officials and the United Nations.
In response to the unrest, a nationwide curfew was announced at 7pm, but it was lifted on Tuesday.
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Mr al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in parliamentary elections in October, but not enough to secure a majority government.
As a result, the country was catapulted into political uncertainty with Mr al-Sadr refusing to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals and exiting from talks.
Sky correspondent
Where the political chaos leads after the powerful and controversial Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr announced he was stepping away from politics is hard to predict.
His supporters are still protesting on the streets where there are continuing clashes with security services – at least 30 are dead.
The influential cleric’s sudden announcement saw hundreds of his followers take to the streets, where they breached the Green Zone.
Political paralysis has gripped the country since elections last October, and a caretaker government is in place.
Mr al-Sadr won the largest share of seats, but there are extraordinarily deep fissures with rival Shiite parties – loyal to Iran – who hold most of the other seats.
Mr al-Sadr had tried to form a coalition with minority parties, breaking with a tradition that government formation consists of the main political actors.
In doing so, he was attempting to push aside his main Shiite rival, the former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is aligned with Iranian factions.
Street protests are not unusual in Iraq, but there’s nervousness about where this unrest could lead.
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His resignation has appeared to be in reaction to the retirement of Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri, who is followed by many of the cleric’s supporters.
During Monday’s protests, hundreds of people pulled down cement barriers outside the government palace, breached its defences and many of them rushed into the building’s marbled halls.
Pictures showed dozens of protesters swimming in the palace’s pool, with some holding up a picture of Mr al-Sadr
