Sadrist source reveals the motive behind the withdrawal of Saraya al-Salam from the Turkish Restaurant

Shafaq News/ Saraya al-Salam's withdrawal from the Turkish Restaurant in central Baghdad came on direct orders from firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, according to a close associate.

Earlier today, Saraya al-Salam, the Peace Companies, vacated the Turkish Restaurant building in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, a landmark of the 2019 anti-government protests, and handed it over to security forces. 

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, the source said that the decision aims to "strengthen the security forces." The restaurant, considered state property, "no longer required the group's presence". The withdrawal, the associate stressed, was "a message" urging all armed groups to vacate government buildings.

The source dismissed speculations linking the move to potential investment opportunities at the restaurant, stressing that the decision was issued by al-Sadr himself, "and was not influenced by external pressure."

The Turkish Restaurant, located in the eastern Bab al-Sharqi district of the capital and overlooking the Green Zone, served as a hub for protesters during the Tishreen demonstrations in 2019. Following deadly clashes during the protests, members of Saraya al-Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, took control of the abandoned building.

The source told Shafaq News agency that Saraya al-Salam members handed over the Turkish Restaurant to security forces in coordination with the security authorities, without providing further details.

Shafaq News was unable to obtain an immediate official comment.

Saraya al-Salam is a powerful armed group affiliated with the Sadrist movement, led by influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr reformed his forces in 2014, to protect Shiite shrines from the Islamic State. This new group was almost entirely formed from the Mahdi Army remnants which fought against the U.S. forces in the post 2003 era.