ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki is leading a united political front aimed at stopping the Moqtada al-Sadr protest movement, especially now that Sadr is making threatens to attack the Green Zone and political party offices, confirmed a source from Maliki’s Daawa party. “The Daawa party won’t be silent against the threats on its offices and we are not alone; the Badr, Fazila, Assaeeb and other parties are with us. We have even contacted some MPs from the Ahrar block as well,” an MP from the State of Law coalition, Jasim Jaafar Muhammed, confirmed to Rudaw. “I do not think the State of Law will organize demonstrations against a certain party but will take other procedures and mechanisms. It is not acceptable in democratic Iraq to insult and take down the photos of great religious clerics and martyrs of the al-Hashd al-Shaabi,” Muhammed added, referring to Sadr supporters defacing images of Shia clerics from the Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi. According to sources, Maliki is trying to convince the political leaders to put pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to enact tough measures to stop the Sadr protesters who threaten to attack the political party offices and the Green Zone. Maliki, via his close aides, is trying to convince Abadi to arrest the organizers of the protests. Rudaw has learned that Maliki met with Ammar Al-Hakim, leader of Islamic supreme council, Fuad Maasum, President of Iraq, and Hadi Amri, leader of the Badr organization, to discuss this issue. Last Friday Abadi condemned recent protests in the capital Baghdad, calling demonstrators’ attacks on public institutions and political party offices, including his Daawa Party in Najaf, “a criminal act.” According to Abadi, the attacks on political party offices were carried out by “unknown armed men,” but the public protests have been largely organized by the Sadr movement and its leader Muqtada al-Sadr. “We ask the political parties to condemn and reject the shameful acts and we ask the patriotic protesters to declare their innocence and not get involved in acts that lead to casualties and make people nervous and horrified,” said Abadi. Last week, Maliki described the attack on political party offices in Najaf and other parts of the country including Baghdad as criminal, “and the work of gangsters.”
