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Violent clashes have broken out on the streets of Baghdad between supporters of the powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr and the wider anti-government protest movement following last weeks appointment of Iraqi prime minister delegate Mohammed Allawi.
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After months of anti-government demonstrations in Iraq, protesters were united in their calls for change. But a split has now appeared between the powerful cleric Moqtada al Sadr, who supports the new prime minister, and the wider protest movement that opposes him.
Hundreds of demonstrators have been evicted from a towering Turkish restaurant, a symbol of the Baghdad protests, by al Sadrs men.
"This place was taken by infiltrators and saboteurs who encouraged violence, and thats why the revolution was being diverted," said Abu Ahmed, a member of Sadr's militia, Saraya al Salam.
The protesters deny this and accuse the Sadrists of crushing the movement to bolster the new prime minister.
The return of Sadrs armed and viRead More – Source
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