BAGHDAD — Iraq’s military imposed a curfew across Baghdad on Friday after security forces used tear gas and water cannons against protesters storming the fortified Green Zone as political tensions reignited.
The order, announced on Iraqi state TV, said a curfew would be in force “until further notice,” the Reuters news agency reported.
The move underscored the deepening political battles in the capital between the Western-backed government and opponents claiming widespread corruption and failures to stabilize the country.
Footage on Iraqi television showed tear gas canisters being shot over the concrete blast walls that ring the secured area of central Baghdad, home to parliament and foreign embassies.
Witnesses said security forces fired live ammunition, but the extent of any casualties was not immediately clear. It also was uncertain whether the reported gunfire was warning shots into the air or directed at demonstrators.
The demonstrators, largely followers of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, managed to breach the Green Zone and storm parliament late last month.
The cleric has led calls for a new technocratic government, pressuring Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to enact reforms. Friday’s demonstration, however, was originally called by secular protesters.
