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Sadr: No Dialogue with the Corrupt, Expect our Next Move

Sadr's supporters protest outside the Iraqi parliament (Getty Images)
Sadr's supporters protest outside the Iraqi parliament (Getty Images)
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Sadr: No Dialogue with the Corrupt, Expect our Next Move

Sadr's supporters protest outside the Iraqi parliament (Getty Images)
Sadr's supporters protest outside the Iraqi parliament (Getty Images)

The leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, has said he would not hold talks with the corrupt, adding that he is preparing for the next move.

Tensions in Iraq have escalated over the inability of political factions to agree on the formation of a government, 10 months after parliamentary elections.

Some of Sadr’s followers stormed the parliament late last month and began a sit-in, first inside the building and then on its grounds where thousands remain.

Sadr submitted a proposal to the UN to hold a public live-streamed dialogue session with the political parties. However, he said there was no tangible response.

"Their answer did not address anything about reform, the protesters' demands, people's suffering. [..] We ask everyone to wait for our next move regarding the policy of ignoring what has happened to Iraq and its people due to corruption."

Sadr indicated that there would be no secret dialogue, asserting: "I do not hide anything from my people, and I will not associate with the corrupt and those who want to kill me."

Observers saw his statement about who wanted to harm or kill him as an expression of the severe tension among Shiite parties, divided between Sadr's movement and the Coordination Framework.

Sadr activists assert that they are ordered to maintain self-restraint and continue their protests in Baghdad and other cities.

The Sadrist movement did not attend the dialogue session called by caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi. The talks aimed to find a solution for the ongoing political crisis.

The meeting was attended by President Barham Salih, Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Baeq Zeidan, UN special representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and other political leaders.

Politicians both inside and outside Iraq have called for calm and dialogue between the parties as the only way to resolve the crisis amid fears that the country would slip into chaos.

The Coordination Framework insists on forming a "majority" transitional government headed by its candidate, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, before holding new elections, while the Sadrist movement insists on dissolving parliament and holding early polls.

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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)

Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as the groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the opposition, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the opposition have entered, three army sources said.
The fighters began their incursion on Wednesday and by late Friday an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi'ite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza opposition brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in opposition-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkiye, which supports the opposition, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
CIVILIANS KILLED IN FIGHTING
On Friday, Syrian state television denied opposition had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: "We're deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria."
"Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as 8 years old."
Syrian state news agency SANA said four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in Aleppo by insurgent shelling of university student dormitories. It was not clear if they were among the 27 dead reported by the UN official.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow regarded the attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.