BAGHDAD
At least 125 other people were wounded on Saturday in sporadic clashes between supporters of prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi security forces, the country’s health ministry confirmed.
The ministry said in a statement that one hundred protesters were injured in clashes with security forces during a protest and a sit-in inside parliament after storming Baghdad’s fortified green zone. He added that 25 infantrymen were also wounded in the clashes.
He said all mandatory fitness measures have been taken to treat the injured and other fitness facilities are being provided.
In its morning statement, the ministry said another 60 people were injured, but then that number rose to 125.
Due to political differences, no new Iraqi government has been formed since last October’s early parliamentary elections.
On July 25, the Coordination Framework Alliance chose Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudan, 52, as its candidate for the next government to end the more than eight-month crisis.
Positions on al-Sudani’s candidacy were divided between supporters and opponents, with the protest motion and the Shiite Sadrist motion not making it easy to appoint a non-conspiratorial with the government.