In Baghdad's strongly protected Green Zone, violent battles resulted in at least 30 deaths and more than 200 injuries.

Following the announcement by influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that he was leaving politics, violent battles broke out in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone on Monday, resulting in at least 30 deaths and more than 200 injuries.

When al-Sadr declared he would leave politics, his supporters seized the Green Zone, which currently houses the Iraqi government's offices and foreign embassies but was once the military bastion of the United States. The government palace's walls were soon breached, and they rushed into its opulent salons and marbled corridors.

Muqtada al-Sadr gave his supporters an hour to leave during a speech that was broadcast on television, and within minutes, some of them were spotted leaving their seats. Iraq's military announced the end of a statewide curfew, adding to optimism that peace would soon return following concerns that instability may spread across the nation and even the region. A day later, his supporters could be seen firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades into the heavily-defended Green Zone on live television as security personnel intermittently returned fire and armoured tanks positioned themselves nearby. Some witnesses recorded the gunfight on their smart phones, while the majority hid behind walls and winced as shots rang out outside.

Since al-party Sadr's received the biggest number of seats in the October legislative elections, but not enough to win a majority government, Iraq's government has remained impassed. Between al-Shiite Sadr's supporters and his Iran-backed Shiite enemies, this resulted in months of political infighting until it became violent on Monday.

After nearly two days of violent violence between competing Shi'ite Muslim groups, Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged his followers to end their demonstrations in the city's centre and offered his condolences to the Iraqi people. Al-fans, Sadr's who are mostly from Iraq's poorest socioeconomic groups and were historically excluded from the political system under Saddam, are drawn to his nationalist rhetoric and reform plan.

Al-Sadr, whose proclamations of revolution and change inspired his supporters to assault the parliament in July, apologised to the Iraqi people and stated he could not accept the bloodshed. Many of his supporters swiftly complied with his request, taking down their tents and evacuating the Green Zone.

In a televised speech, Sadr claimed, "This is not a revolutionary (anymore) since it has lost its peaceful spirit." He continued, "Iraqi blood must not be shed.