Iraq’s Sistani: ‘Undisciplined elements’ shot protestors, demands govt inquiry

Iraq’s top Shia cleric on Friday blamed the Baghdad government for the killing of scores of protesters and gave it a two-week deadline to find out which “undisciplined elements” had used snipers to shoot them, in an apparent reference to Iran-backed militias accused of a role in the crackdown.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani “demands that the government investigate to find out which elements gave orders to shoot protesters, whatever their affiliation,” a representative of the cleric said during a sermon in the holy city of Kerbala.

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The death toll for the protests is now over 100. Demonstrators were shot and killed while protesting in the country's south and the capital Baghdad.

Protestors have alleged that Farsi-speaking Iranians have been reponsible for killing protestors. Iran has a large presence in Iraq, including the 7,500-strong force led by Gen. Hassan Karami.

Many of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias are loyal to Iran, and the PMU’s deputy commander Jamal Jaafar al-Ibrahimi – known by his nom de guerre Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes – is a key Iranian ally.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in his first reaction to the violence in Iraq, called the protests a “conspiracy” by the enemies and an attempt to “sow discord” between Iran and Iraq.