Some Iraqi Parliamentarians Ready to Dump al-Abadi after Green Zone Invasion

Ten days ago, Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Iraq to build momentum for the fight against ISIS and to support the Iraqi government of Haider al-Abadi. Biden has been Obama's point man on Iraq since the beginning of the administration -- so one might ssy his trip was long overdue. Biden's trip to Iraq is his first since 2011. Obama announced earlier in April that he would send 200 more troops, Apache helicopters and rocket artillery to aid in the fight in Iraq. ~~~~~ Divisions have increased in Iraq between the shiite-led al-Abadi government and sunni Arabs in central Iraq, as well as Kurds in the autonomous region in the oil-rich north, who are calling for independence. The political and economic crises are in part because of the drop of oil prices and friction among the country’s three ethnic populations. Shiite Arabs in the southeast have close ties to Iran, and some have formed militias hostile to sunni Arabs in central Iraq and to Kurds. Thousands of shiites responded to the call by powerful shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- a long-time opponent of the US plan making Iraqi government a coalition of shiites, sunnis and Kurds. ~~~~~ The state of emergency came after protesters loyal to al-Sadr breached the heavily fortified Green Zone -- home to government buildings and foreign embassies, including the US Embassy. An Iraqi military spokesman said : "All gates that lead to Baghdad are closed. No one is allowed to enter into Baghdad, only those who want to leave Baghdad can do so." Hundreds of protesters occupied Iraq's parliament after storming Baghdad's Green Zone when lawmakers failed to convene for an Aprik 30 vote on overhauling the government. Video from inside the building showed jubilant crowds waving Iraqi flags and shouting, "peaceful, peaceful." Supporters of al-Sadr, whose fighters once controlled much of Baghdad, led a violent revolt against US troops, and helped defend the capital from ISIS, have demonstrated for weeks at the gates of the Green Zone. Saturday was the first time they breached its walls, despite Iraqi security forces firing tear gas and bullets in the air. Later, al-Sadr told his followers to leave parliament and start a sit-in in the Grand Festivities Square, also inside the Green Zone and less than a mile from the US Embassy. Al-Abadi said the security situation was "under control" and asked demonstrators to return to designated protest areas. An unnamed US official told the media the American Embassy in Baghdad is not being evacuated, nor is it providing safe haven for Iraqi politicians, contrary to local reports. ~~~~~ In a Saturday statement, al-Sadr said : “Today the people announced their revolution. History will record the birth of a new Iraq, from the ashes of corruption and the corrupt.” Members of parliament, many of whom live in the Green Zone, went into hiding. Some left the country. Shwan Dawoodi, a Kurdish lawmaker, told the Washinton Post they are “scared for their lives. What’s happening in the streets is terrifying," saying he was attacked as he left parliament. Five Kurdish lawmakers were rescued by Kurdish peshmerga forces after locking themselves in a room. Many politicians said the day’s events marked a turning point. Dawoodi, speaking by phone, said : “This is an end to the political system put in place after 2003. A big part of the blame for this is on America, which left Iraq without solving this crisis it created.” ~~~~~ Dear readers, parliament member Hisham al-Suhail says many lawmakers are exchanging messages saying the prime minister is not fit to run the country, adding : "That’s it for Abadi. What’s happened has ruined everything we’ve built over the last 13 years. The Green Zone represents the whole government of Iraq.” Protesters say that Iraqi politicians are corrupt and stealing Iraq’s oil wealth. Military spokesman Colonel Ibrahim al-Baydani said : “We are in the highest degree of readiness." What is the truth about Iraq. Chaos is the best word -- caused by Barack Obama, who "left Iraq without solving this crisis" he created in 2011.