At the Gates of Hell (Iraq Megathread)

[BigSerg]

It all started when protesters loyal to the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace and seized other government buildings.

The Iraqi army announced a nationwide curfew and the prime minister suspended cabinet sessions in response to the violence. However, everything seems to have escalated, as there have been clashes even at oil refineries and it appears that militia groups that have nothing to do with the government or Sadr have taken advantage of the chaos to attack their opponents.

https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1564357055753998338?s=20&t=JAKyMRtIWzJCVx...

https://twitter.com/no_itsmyturn/status/1564356980847919105?s=20&t=JAKyMRtIW...

[BigSerg]

https://twitter.com/YWNReporter/status/1564358343493386241?s=20&t=JAKyMRtIWz...

[BigSerg]

https://twitter.com/cpimentel986/status/1564362180010680322?s=20&t=i05sIKaZj...

[BigSerg]

https://twitter.com/no_itsmyturn/status/1564368947411144711?s=20&t=i05sIKaZj...

[dead0man]

these clowns do "firefights" like the Chechen TikTok army in Ukraine do them.  Dozens of guys standing around, then one guy running into the open, firing a lot of rounds (often from the hip ifyoucanbelieveit) in some random direction and then running away for the next guy to stand up and play solider.  A half dozen 17 year olds that are good at Call of Duty could probably take these guys in a real fight.

[CumbrianLefty]

Like the Chechens, they still kill a fair few people by the looks of it.

[compson]

Why has intra-Shia political conflict been so severe in recent years?