Iraq's Defense Minister: the Green Zone events were like a war

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraqi Defense Minister Jumaa Inad said that the recent events in the Green Zone showed "weaknesses" on the security level.

Inad said in an interview with the Iraqi state media, "The Iraqi army units worked professionally in dealing with the recent events in the Green Zone, which were like a war."

Heavy clashes erupted in Baghdad, killing almost 20 people on Monday, after influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he would quit politics, prompting his loyalists to storm a government palace and fight with rival groups.

As night fell, machine-gun fire and explosions rang out, tracer fire rising into the sky above the Green Zone that houses government headquarters and foreign embassies, in the worst fighting the Iraqi capital has seen in years.

Minister Inad considered Muqtada al-Sadr's call to withdraw his supporters "has spared a bloodbath."

He also stressed that the ministry would take new measures to reinforce the security in the Green Zone.

Concerning the security situation in Iraq, he pointed out that "ISIS remnants have become weak and do not threaten the security of the country since their capabilities are limited."