Sharjah 24 – AFP: Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr began withdrawing Tuesday from Baghdad's Green Zone after he demanded fighting end between rival forces and the army that left 23 dead and hundreds wounded.
Moments after Sadr's speech was broadcast live on television, his supporters were seen beginning to leave the Green Zone, and minutes after that, the army lifted a nation-wide curfew.
Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister or president for months.
They escalated sharply after Sadr's supporters on Monday afternoon stormed the government palace inside the high-security Green Zone following their leader's announcement that he was quitting politics.
Overnight, shelling targeted the Green Zone that houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, amid angry protests after Sadr's surprised many by announcing his "definitive retirement".
Clashes continued on Tuesday morning -- with the rattle of automatic gunfire and heavier explosions of rocket-propelled grenades.
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