Clashes among rival Shiite Muslim militants in the city of
Basra in Iraq on Thursday morning killed four people. The local security
officials shared the news with the local media.
The clashes also occurred throughout the country amid a
political crisis that pits followers of the powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada
Al-Sadr against Iran-aligned political parties.
Reportedly, the latest clashes took place in the centre of
Basra, Iraq’s main oil-producing hub. Basra has historically been a flashpoint
between the rival Shiite groups.
The violence started again in the country this week as armed
supporters of Sadr fought with security forces and Iran-aligned gunmen in
Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
Last month, thousands of supporters of Sadr stormed the
parliament building in Baghdad. Sadr reportedly said that he was resigning from
politics because of the actions of a rival political coalition, the
Co-ordination Framework. Sadr said he would resign from politics after 10
months of failed negotiations to form a government.
The political deadlock between the two rival Shiite camps
has left Iraq without a government since October. Sadr’s party was the winner
in the general election in October 2021. However, Sadr failed to form a
government that would exclude his Iran-backed rivals.
In June, his party resigned en masse after Sadr asked them
to step down because of the political crisis over the formation of a
government. In August, Sadr demanded the dissolution of parliament and called
for early elections.
Recently, Iraqi President, Barham Salih, also said that early elections might resolve the political crisis in the country. He also asked Sadr to put efforts to end the violence in the country.
Recently, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi threatened
to vacate his post if the complicated political stand-off in the country
remains. He said, “I will take the patriotic decision to vacate my position.”
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