MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The military command of Baghdad has closed all the entrances to the city amid the ongoing protests near the parliament building, local media reported Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the military announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside. Some Iraqi lawmakers have been severely injured in the attack carried out by protesters.
"All entrances to the capital, Baghdad, were closed completely, and only exit was allowed," the Baghdad military command said in a statement as quoted by the IraqiNews.com outlet.
According to earlier media reports, the Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.