Followers of Iraq’s Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr were seen today breaking into the Republican Palace, the headquarters of the country’s government, and swimming in its swimming pool.
These protests escalated when Al-Sadr, who is a political power in the country and has a large following, announced that he would leave politics today.
The Iraqi government has imposed a curfew that will affect the country from 7 p.m. Iraqi time.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Baghdad has been evacuated by helicopter with the current situation.