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Iraqi Protesters Breach Baghdad’s Green Zone, ISIS Target Shiites

For the first time protesters have breached Baghdad’s heart of government in the Green Zone. Dozens of protester waving Iraqi flags and chanting anti-government slogans climbed the walls of the security zone and stormed the parliament. In another part of the capital ISIS has claimed responsibility for car bombing a Shiite district during holy pilgrimage and killing dozens. The Scotsman reports: After months of protests, sit-ins and demonstrations outside Baghdad’s Green Zone – home to most ministries and foreign embassies – Saturday’s escalation marks the first time protesters have breached the compound’s walls. Earlier Saturday, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accused Iraqi politicians of blocking efforts to implement political reform aimed at combating corruption and waste. Increasingly tense protests and a series of failed reform measures have paralysed the government as the country struggles to fight the Islamic State group and respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices. Meanwhile, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a bombing east of Baghdad on Saturday, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The [...]