Calm prevailed in Baghdad for a fourth consecutive day following the bloody clashes between the Shiite Sadrist movement and Asaib Ahl al-Haq that swept the Iraqi capital.
A fragile unwritten truce has largely been holding between the movement, of influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, of which the Asaib are a part of.
The calm has not prevented the rivals from trading accusations over the unrest and political impasse.
Sadr’s “minister”, Saleh Mohammed al-Iraqi demanded caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to dismiss the leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Faleh al-Fayyad.
The PM did not respond to the request. His role as a caretaker bars him from fulfilling such a demand.
On Thursday, four militants were killed in reprisal attacks between the Sadrists and Asaib in the southern city of Basra. Two militiamen from Sadr's group Saraya al-Salam and two from the Asaib were killed.
Asaib leader, Qais Khazali later instructed his group to close their offices until further notice.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday expressed its alarm at the violence, acknowledging the government’s efforts to restore order.
It called for calm and restraint, welcoming statements from various parties that called against more violence.
It urged the parties to resolve their political disputes peacefully and to respect the rule of law.
Aide to Kadhimi, Dr. Hussein Allawi told Asharq Al-Awsat the PM played a “major role” in managing the crisis in order to preserve peace and stability and encourage political leaderships to support the government and prioritize national interests over partisan one.
Moreover, he noted that the orders of the army commander to the troops and commitment of the military and security forces to these orders helped maintain the peace.
He said the security forces’ constant contact with the political leaderships and constant communication with the PM allowed everyone to address the crisis faster than expected, leading to the containment of the clashes within 24 hours.
He urged the need for important initiatives to be proposed, similar to the national dialogue brought forward by Kadhimi.
The first round of the talks was a success, Allawi remarked, urging more talks with political leaderships.
