BAGHDAD—Violent clashes gripped Iraq’s capital after an influential cleric said he was quitting politics, as protesters stormed government buildings and heavily armed militias flooded into the capital’s government center, setting off an intense urban battle that threatened the government’s stability.
At least 17 people were killed by gunfire and more than 90 were reported wounded in clashes in the Green Zone on Monday, turning the heavily fortified district of government offices, embassies and villas of senior Iraqi officials into a besieged zone.
This article was written by and originally published on www.wsj.com