US urges calm amid ‘disturbing’ Baghdad unrest, denies embassy evacuation

WASHINGTON — The United States calls fresh unrest in Baghdad “disturbing,” urging Iraqis to abstain from violence that has left at least eight dead after powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said he was quitting politics.

“Reports today of unrest throughout Iraq are disturbing,” says National Security Council spokesman John Kirby after Sadr loyalists stormed the government palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone in reaction to his announcement.

“Iraqi institutions are not being allowed to function. This in turn increases the risk of violence,” Kirby says.

“Security, stability and sovereignty should not be put at risk… We urge those involved to remain calm, to abstain from this violence and pursue peaceful avenues of redress,” he says.

Kirby denies reports that the US embassy in Iraq, also located inside the Green Zone, is being evacuated.

“There’s no evacuation going on at the embassy,” he said.