Supporters of the influential Iraqi Shiite Imam Muqtada al-Sadr, protesting against corruption and political mismanagement, on Sunday, July 31, continue to control the parliament building for the second day in a row Iraq in Baghdad. They set up tents there and began an indefinite sit-in.
“The demonstrators are going on a sit-in until further notice,” al-Sadra’s representatives said in a brief statement to journalists, quoted by state news agency INA.
On the eve of thousands of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr for the second time in a week broke into the parliament building inside the “Green Zone” of Baghdad, the police used tear gas against them. At least 100 protesters and 25 police officers were injured in the clashes, according to the health ministry. The immediate reason for the storming of the parliament was the decision of the rival Shiite bloc to nominate pro-Iranian figure Mohammed Shiyah al-Sudani for the post of prime minister.
Both the UN and the European Union have warned of rising tensions in Baghdad. An EU official in a communiqué released on Sunday expressed concern about “the ongoing protests and their potential escalation”, calling for “constructive political dialogue”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a “peaceful and inclusive dialogue” to form an effective national government.
Muqtada al-Sadr continues to fight for power
Al-Sadr’s party won the Iraqi elections in October 2021. However, he withdrew his deputies from Parliament after he failed to form a government. He wanted to create an alliance against the Shia parties, most of which receive military and financial support. from Iran and have their own paramilitary groups. As a result, dozens of seats went to an alliance of Shia parties. For nearly a year, Iraq has been left without a president and prime minister as the situation has stalled.
In the struggle for power, al-Sadra’s movement wants to prevent its political opponents from the entourage of former head of government Nuri al-Maliki from forming a government. The 47-year-old religious leader’s rivals presented their candidate for prime minister almost ten months after parliamentary elections. However, from the point of view of al-Sadr, the former minister Mohammed Shiyah al-Sudani, who was nominated for this post, is too close to the ex-premier al-Maliki, who is at odds with al-Sadr. Moreover, al-Maliki and his alliance openly sympathize with neighboring Iran.
Al-Sadr, who is also accused of corruption by his opponents, has a lot of power. His supporters hold influential positions in ministries and state institutions in Iraq. The country has huge oil reserves, but suffers from frequent power outages, low levels of education and health care, and high unemployment, especially among young people.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Destruction in the old part of Mosul
The historic center of Mosul lies in ruins. The second largest city in Iraq is located on the western bank of the Tigris River. The decisive battle for the liberation of Mosul from Islamic State militants took place in the western part of the city. ISIS fighters, who called themselves “the fighters of the Caliphate”, barricaded themselves in the streets of the old city during their retreat.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Pictures of the apocalypse
Looking from the east bank of the Tigris towards the historical center of Mosul, on the west bank of the river, a terrible sight opens up: piles of stones, destroyed houses and molten metal. In June 2017, during the fighting with ISIS, the city was heavily bombed by the forces of the international anti-terrorist coalition. About 400 bombs were dropped on Mosul.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
It will never be like before
The historic center of Mosul will never look the same before the start of the operation to liberate the city from IS militants. Now on the site of Mosul millions of tons of construction debris.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
dangerous return
Zara, along with her 4 children, decided to return to the bombed-out city. Her family has nothing to pay for expensive housing in the surviving part of the city on the eastern bank of the Tigris. Danger lies in wait for the family everywhere.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Mortal danger underfoot
What lies unnoticed among the ruins is a belt filled with explosives and metal fragments belonging to a suicide bomber. If an explosion occurs, these fragments will scatter over a long distance. The inhabitants of Mosul, who are gradually returning to the ruined city, are in danger of becoming victims of abandoned improvised explosive devices or unexploded bombs.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Traces of battles
In the ruined historical center of Mosul, traces of street fighting are still visible. The struggle for the liberation of the city lasted 9 months: from November 2016 to July 2017. The offensive of the Iraqi army and its allies was supported from the air, inflicting air strikes, by the forces of the international anti-terrorist coalition. As a result of the fighting, most of the city was destroyed.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Fighting victims in Mosul
On one of the many streets of Mosul, the bodies of 10 people are wrapped in bags. Until now, the dead are found in the ruins of the city. It’s hot outside, the city smells strongly of a corpse. It is still unknown how many people died during the nine-month battles for the liberation of Mosul. Preliminary estimates put the death toll at between 10,000 and 40,000.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Is reconciliation possible?
Here and there on the walls of the destroyed houses you can see graffiti, like this: “IG – we want your blood.” Local residents face a complex and lengthy process of reconciliation. Will those who suffered from IS jihadists and those who supported them be able to peacefully coexist with each other?
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
There is an urgent need to create jobs
Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrahman is the head of the administration of one of the districts of the neighboring city of Hamam Mangush. He is trying to prevent the return of the jihadists and help the victims. “The problem is that people here have too much free time. We urgently need to create jobs so that people can escape from bitter thoughts. If you live only in the past, it will definitely repeat itself,” he says.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
An-Nuri and its special meaning
In Mosul, there is the famous An-Nuri Mosque – once the visiting card of the historical part of the city. During the fighting, the mosque was destroyed. In June 2014, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the establishment of a “caliphate” here. Mosul was under the control of militants for three whole years.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Salvation of cultural heritage
ISIS fighters, leaving Mosul, blew up the An-Nuri mosque. In early 2018, the authorities of the United Arab Emirates announced that they were ready to allocate $50 million for the restoration of an ancient mosque destroyed by militants.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
ancient minaret
The famous minaret of the An-Nuri Mosque in Mosul is over 800 years old. He did not care about hurricanes or wars. The locals call it “hadba”, which means a humpbacked or falling minaret. Now only its surviving parts remind of the ancient building.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Street fighting
The narrow streets of the old city, where IS fighters barricaded themselves leaving Mosul, bear traces of fierce fighting. The entrance to this house, where the jihadists were hiding, was mined. The cadaverous smell indicates that people died here. Survivors say that IS militants used civilians as human shields.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Traces of fighting on the streets of Mosul
Cell phone wires and a rusted battery lie in the ruins of a bombed-out house. A few steps further you can find a small walkie-talkie. Another such device is visible in the window opening.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
The ideology of jihad is not defeated
Next to a faded, torn camouflage vest is a Koran. The militants of the Islamic State terrorist organization were defeated. But those of them who managed to escape continue to recruit new militant supporters of radical Islam into the ranks of ISIS and organize terrorist attacks in Iraq. The ideology of jihad is still not defeated.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
molten metal
Among the destroyed buildings, crumpled cars are visible. Many of them, as a result of the bombing of Mosul, turned into a pile of rusting metal. In addition, the city is full of unexploded bombs, which are covered with rust and still pose a mortal danger to the city resurrecting after the war.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Fight for the Lost Homeland
Before ISIS took control of Mosul, the city had about 2 million inhabitants. Due to hostilities, about half of them left Mosul. About 700,000 people once lived in the densely populated old city. This woman found her home in ruins. Despite this, she still wants to come back here.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Reminder of peaceful life
The historic center of Mosul was famous for its luxurious, brightly decorated front doors. Only a few of them survived the fighting. Forged doors, reminiscent of works of art, are bright spots against the backdrop of the ruined city.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
A house that could be a trap
This is how the house looks like from the inside, in which tenants returned after the liberation of Mosul. Many refugee families no longer want to live in special camps on the outskirts or rent expensive housing in the surviving part of the city. But there is a danger that a soft toy left on the window in this house could be filled with explosives. This one, like many other houses in Mosul, must first be cleared of mines.
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Former IS stronghold: Mosul, one year after liberation
Complicated recovery process
The battle for the liberation of Mosul, according to experts, will go down in history because of the most severe urban street fighting since the Second World War. Rebuilding a destroyed city is a long and expensive process. The Iraqi government assumes that this will require at least $2 billion.
Author: Sandra Petersman, Natalia Pozdnyakova
