Fairly serious unrest is occurring in Iraq, involving an important political leader - Muqtada al-Sade - announcing his withdrawal from politics and an influential religious leader - Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri - suggesting Iraqi Shiites give their religious adherence to the religious leader of Iran - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These actions have led to rioting, perhaps the fall of the government, and the claim of a helicopter evacuation of the U.S. embassy when the Green Zone was breached by rioters.
I’ve only found one mention in U.S. media, here. Most U.S. media seem to be ignoring the friskiness in Baghdad, but Al Jazeera has coverage, as does al-Monitor here. For a country we once found important enough to invade, unrest in Iraq sure doesn’t stir much interest now. I guess “yesterday’s news” just about describes it.
This is the third embassy we’ve evacuated in the last couple of years. It’s getting to be routine. Perhaps bug out rehearsals should be standard training for the striped pants crowd.
