US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi have agreed to tighten security in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, according to a statement by the White House.
The agreement came after at least four anti-government protesters were killed when Iraqi forces opened fire on a group of reform-seeking demonstrators in the Green Zone on Friday.
More than 100 people were also wounded in the unrest, in which forces used tear gas, water cannons and sound bombs against protesters who broke into the area which houses government buildings, parliament and embassies.
Protesters broke into the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks, challenging the government's ability to secure the capital.
Demonstrators, mostly the supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, are upset with the government's failure to approve anti-corruption reforms and maintain security in Baghdad.
The breach also prompted the government to declare a curfew in the capital, only to be lifted hours later by al-Abadi.
During a telephone conversation on Saturday, Obama and al-Abadi highlighted the need for talks so that "the Iraqi people can address their aspirations through their democratic institutions."
According to the White House statement, the talks stressed the “critical importance” of improving security in Baghdad, calling for continued dialogue among the Iraqi political parties.
Obama also commended al-Abadi for the measures his government has taken so far to finalize an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
The US president said that it was necessary that the international community support Iraq's economic recovery amid its battle against Daesh.
Iraqi forces have foiled an attempt by bombers of the Takfiri terrorists to infiltrate Baghdad, killing as many as 11 militants in the process, according to a report by the Iraqi Interior Ministry on Saturday.
However, more than 200 people have been killed in bomb attacks in and around Baghdad over the past days. Daesh has claimed responsibility for all the assaults.
Daesh has been wreaking havoc in Iraq since June 2014. The Iraqi military’s most important victory against the terrorists ever since has been their liberation of the central city of Ramadi, Anbar’s provincial capital, last December.
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