process is a country that's learning how to be a democracy, but it's not there yet. one person, one vote on al jazeera, on counting the calls european nations tons of coal after bad on russian fossil fuels, but it won't cost biden's inflation reduction act is a big economic when is it enough? plus tech companies or wallets high fly is now in best as a ditching technology stokes. counting the cost on al jazeera ah ah, shelling undone far in baghdad, screens own $20.00 people are killed and fighting. after she asked me to mcdonough all sadder, announced he was quitting politics. ah,

failures of those the porters stormed the presidential palace. a nationwide curfew has been imposed. ah! hello! hello robin! you're watching! obviously we're like we're headquarters here in denver. also coming up, holmes lost on farm land submerge the government, says one 3rd of pakistan is now covered by flood water. and ukraine says it's launched a counter offensive to retake its russian controlled southern region of keshawn. ah, welcome to the program. a political crisis in iraq has exploded into violence after the powerful she ain't neither. but either on sutter announced he was quitting frontline politics gunfire and explosions of rocked bag dad's hog security green zone in the past few hours with reports of heavy fighting between rival shiite

factions. at least 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the worst fighting the all he capital and seen in years where we live in baghdad shortly. but 1st this report of victoria gayton. b. i didn't kale seabag dad's heavily fortified greed. then i the wible, she, i, factions, targeting each other, things to fighting escalated late on monday night after a day of violence and political turmoil, 3 ah, protests broke out of the shiite cleric, moth t'other all sudden announced he was quitting frontline politics. his supporters broke into the presidential palace, which houses the prime minister's office. oh, many,

even taking to the palace pool laqueena about milan, our demands are to dissolve parliament and to hold the corrupt to account. and we shade my master look to the old solder, your pride is under your feet and will sacrifice for you with stories, hours one afternoon. caretaker prime minister miss stefan academy holsted cabinet sessions until further notice. but derek's political life was already in limbo. this be deadlock for almost a year, but ted are all set. his party won the largest share of seats in elections last october. it wasn't enough to secure a majority and sat hasn't been able to form a government of his choosing. he told his m. p 's to resign in june, and his supporters have been protesting since july, some even briefly occupied parliament. they won't new elections without the participation of a ran backed groups. don't be

a law. this is an iraqi revolution. iraq should be returned to little people. oh, this is not the 1st time sad as announced his retirement from politics. many have dismissed it as a blow to gain leverage over his rivals. already several protested, have been killed and hundreds wounded. 3 and it's feared said his latest leave could lead to yet more instability. thank toria, gate and be al jazeera was called over to all correspond behind. abdulla had his life once in baghdad had been following of and saw what 3, what has been a very violent night. just explained to was my mood where you all right now on what's going on now very close to the green zone. were the clashes, is it continuing give between the brigades affiliated to, to the southern,

on the one hand. and on the other hand, military units, they say the so the support of the say that the, the, the, the army groups shooting at them are pretty to the popular mobilization forces. we cannot independently verify that, but we know for certain that the kids take it probably minnesota. i'm a civil called me earlier warner security forces not to use live bullets again is to protest us. there have been sniper shops coming from on top of the building. if you can, if you, if you, if just heard this explosion, we've been hearing explosions, several explosions. many people say that probably most rockets or a rocket propelled grenades, fire in the area in and around the green zone. the situation remains very tense as you know that it's ironic because the green zone, which is

a battle field now between the rival of factions, has been heavily fortified area that is home to government offices and international diplomatic commissions, including the u. s. embassy and the embassy of the u. k. in terms of the up, this also comes only 24 hours. so sorry. carry on please the hood. i just wanted to say so i know that this escalation comes only 24 hours ahead of should jewel the supreme court session to rule on a petition submitted by such petitions, demanding the parliament b. dissolve that is due to be held on to his day. but also this whole escalation comes against the backdrop of the 10 months of political draven, reeves', of dispute that i've been derailing,

forming the government, the dispute, namely, between the southern movement and allies on the one hand. and iranian begged politicians, on the other hand, for the past 2 months, the parliament has failed more than once to form a government or elect a new president, due to that political rivalry over who is entitled to form a government. so that, and his allies say that, that entitled to form a government because they have the largest block in the parliament. so they want to form a majority government. on the other hand, the iranian backed group that is called the coordination framework. and allies say that they want to form a consensus government that includes all the various petitions, but service has been rejecting that accusing them of corruption. he says that he cannot have them as partners of any future government or even in any future

elections. load of the wad that in baghdad that with the latest. thank you. let's go save an hour to shut kiddle center freelance journalist based in baghdad, josephina ly, via skype from the i could help you with the sat miss kittles in on the program. you have been out and about on the streets during the violence that we've seen in baghdad. just give us a sense of what you've seen and what you've heard these past few hours. i'm ok so there's been a lot of explosions on more than i have heard in my entire time here. i'm something comparable to some days and most still. i mean, i covered the battle for most lynn in 2017 um and some hours you're just hearing ex though at one explosion after the next and gunfire. am i must constantly. ah, we've also heard not only from the green zane but also i mean, i'm just east of the green zone just across the river. ah, and i have had, i've heard explosions to my east as well as so that's

a further away from the greens and because clearly they're carrying out retaliatory acts um against different political parties and aces, et cetera. and some of this will have to be verified and morning, exactly what has been done and we're hearing so many things from different sides of me. it's also sort of information warfare. i get a bizarre la, did you get a sense that this was a how to cag ready to blow earlier in the day? or did you think it was all pretty calm? how surprised at your, what's happened in the past few hours? i'm. well, i didn't expect to blow up this much, but i didn't expect side there to just from one moment. the next, just i say he was leaving as, as he did. ah, and especially in the circumstances because i've been out to the protests a few times since they started on july. the 3rd, it's a mr in a month now, it's been a month. ah,

i'll end to have that. am i to people that support him with in the green zone? arms just leave that with i it's and someone leading them is dangerous. i think um, but having said that, i mean clearly a, it was just limbo. we're just, we've been in limbo for i'm 10 months, i mean having no government, et cetera, and that the fights back and forth. political fighting on is very cool and sadder support is it. they said it is obviously difficult because obviously that the, the, the authorities themselves have been witnessing what's been going on in the green zone with, with, in a partial takeovers of parliament to now to tackle the presidency. what was your sense of, of the security forces in the security build up a beyond this, at the santa supporters where they on the periphery, where they anywhere within the green zone. did you think that that they were in any way going to intervene?

ah, yeah. when i was there, for example, on august 5th, when there was the massive prayer that sat there called, ah said there, they had been occupying the parliament for one moment. next he said, no, you need to leave and they laughed. so most of his supporters tend to just go by his. busy orders no other man in iraq has the ability to do that. um, so while i was there, there were few security forces on the ground. they asked that i not take any photos of them. ah, they are clearly outnumbered by the side of supporters. now, i do not see any side of supporters that were armed, and in the last few days we've seen their rivals, the so called coordination framework. and that is the political name for the alliance between a number of, of parties, many of whom have armed groups that have been bout byron,

some of which have brigades, which have been incorporated into government forces. but there is a huge question as to whether they're loyal to the state or not. um, some of them have been accused of involvement, for example, in the attempted assassination of the prime minister last year. um. and so this rival group, this rival alliance, a coordination framework, has accused the prime minister of siding with sod that in some way um. and that was also part of the reason why when they recently these protestors entered, as well as the young the iraqi, a judicial supreme judicial council. um, yeah, they, the coordination framework accused caused me of allowing that once again they moved away from those premises when ordered to do so by sod that now if he just stepped

away and says, i'm not going to tell anyone what to do any longer. that can be dangerous, it does leave a voice though, doesn't to, and that's why i was good to come to next very briefly is that if you say i'm going on hunger strike and i'm going to leave politics. firstly, your sudden very mixed messages to your supporters, but also very confusing messages to the public at large. what, what will happen next in, in your opinion? where does this go? that i don't know honestly in terms of i can report what's on the ground. what's going to happen. i don't know on saw that it tends to change his mind a lot, which he's been criticized for quite a lance. um, but some people say that's actually a good thing because when he learns that he's made a mistake, he change as he in some way a lot of people don't. a lot of people who are not, his father's don't trust him for that because he does things that are unexpected.

ah, and it's hard to tell whether these are um, you know, sincere choices that, that's what he thinks is the best thing, or if it's a sort of tactic to do something else that there's a lot of questions about that. ah, so it will depend a lot on him really know what he decides to do in the next few days. and however, the fact that the prime minister did order security forces not to use light bullets . and obviously we've seen about 20 people killed or now a some bullets have been used. we don't know by whom i am obviously very weird situation or as well. i shall have to leave that for a moment. it is good to have you and your analysis such a little a capital said by force in back that thank you. thank you very much. how does their daughter jabari has more from to her all and how the iranian government is reacting to the violence enabling, backed out what we heard from officials in iran who have advised their citizens

not to travel to iraq. they have also cancelled all flights to iraq as a result of the instability they've ongoing in that country. there's a travel advisory call citizens to avoid travel to the country. they've also close all the land border crossing between iraq and you're on. it's called the 2 countries are neighbors and they share a very long border that stretches about 1300 kilometers. and we also heard from the foreign ministry, well, course and a little earlier this evening. and he said that the government leave, that there is no political impacts that can't solve itself. and that's the use of recommending that iraq and pursue and solution to political misunderstandings that they're having based on a constitution. which is interesting, of course,

because one of the main issues that is the core of the dispute between the southern supporters and the government is the constitution itself. and the laws that i've been put in place about the system of government that they have with others. other has been a crucial figure in the rocky politics for some time the shiite leaders santos movement is one of the most powerful factions he wrote to providence. after the end of the southern hussein's leadership in 2003, he's demanded the departure of american troops and is against iran's influence. his movements secured the top position after parliamentary elections and october last year when $73.00 sees. but neither he nor his rivals had enough seats for a majority. so after months of failing to form a government that ordered his n piece to resign in june and his supporters, the protested in central baghdad since july and briefly occupied parliament, julius now is sir, for motion is below. we'll have,

he is on the rock and list and walk the fellow at the washington institute. good to have as a good have you on all programming. what sort of sense of the maneuvers that you're seeing and hearing about on the ground in baghdad. what's being played out here? this is a power rivalry mainly within the house now that they have for all intents and purposes, crushed the sa nice period because much of the, in the areas that are under the control of, of militia, on one hand. and the one very powerful and influential western back could this 10 regional government. so the political parties basically see an opportunity to consolidate power and maybe and do much of the decentralization and federalism that granted the sydney and the could the regional power. so, but the could be to she house is now divided along 2 major line. on the one hand,

you have the dolls father, the star of today's activities. who is a populous, mercurial, definitely ambition. and has cast the insult in different lights and the latest which is an antique iran bent was definitely appeals to the west. and then on the other hand, you have a group of classical traditional iraqi blog post saddam through additional political parties that have lost 2 father, but have come together found in other cause around which to unify the problem is that both sides there are to their teeth neither side, believe them, the dates and the really jeopardizing the security and stability of the country in a very ugly and violent power struggle. and the hope is that it doesn't get more violent. we've had various contributors to i'll just say over the weeks of the,

the impasse over in baghdad. and often it's been said, but others, popularity is so much so that he can definitely bring out the masses in the capital . but he's not so popular beyond baghdad. beyond in the rural areas, i mean, how do you assess where his popularity comes from? why it's so evident in the urban areas. part of it is because everybody is ation the war on one hand, the decades long sanctions on the other. but also, let's not forget that iraq is an oil dependent country. and the very nature of a petro state is that the state is the largest provider and created of jobs. and those jobs are often, you know, goes jobs or mt desk jobs in the city. so having others not only employed in baghdad, but in the neighborhood of back that but that the largest slums in the city called

the fathers, that the name that the himself. so that's part of his st. credits so to speak. but part of it is also a legacy of a family of the father family of the father was was that was an mom, was the grand ayatollah a. she mother jack, that on one hand, and of course he was killed along with 2 of his son by saddam hussein. so he had that as a legitimacy. and of course, maybe a final point that he's also recast insolvent. they said he was one of the very 1st few she'll leaders who stood up both politically and later violently against the u . s. military occupation. so we had these background going for him and he also deployed to return social media in a very successful way. mimic, a many of the of other popular, not only in the region, both in the world. so how's that credibility?

i mean, if we come to here and now know what we need to see conflict, but how worrying is it? but we are hearing now about the intensity of god via explosions in the capital. very reminiscent of the time. shortly after saddam hussein's demise. we heading dare i say it into a direction that nobody really wants to admit. it's been a game of chicken since the election father managed to win a few dollars be definitely not a majority. however, militarily, father's malicious might be weaker and less experienced than, than the band of other militias that the more perhaps organized. and then the umbrella of the popular mobilization forces. this was everyone and worry and fear that there might be in all our civil war. and honestly, these parties, these 2 can also use the,

the fear and the risk of civil war to scared the population, to accept the political wrangling and brinkman ship. let's not forget that in 2019 the, there was a genuine grassroots movement, a protest movement that was against the entire t of the political system. the dysfunction of the day, the corruption that permeates and those protest like these protests, they were faced with bullets and fire and some 800 of them were killed in thousands were injured. and yet today we see that protested with ease can get into a parliament building or a presidential palace. the only difference is that one is supported politically, while the genuinely popular protest of 2019 where we're not okay. well, we shall see how this pans out for the moment below. we'll have thanks so much for joining us from washington, dc. to be with you out there is a sullivan. judith reported extensively from iraq. jos build the set. now let's

just for our view is this all into context is already begins with an inconclusive general election last year and it's gone downhill for iraq since then. but it's called the vote for nowhere because that's the iraq has been in the last, almost a year. this impasse is continued as your previous guess. mentioned it's thought austin list of academy coming in. he was supposed to oversee a council. he was supposed to receive an election supposed to change the constitution. none of that seems to have taken place in the election. the turn out was just 43 percent. we went to various places and rock and looked at us suddenly as he rose to it with his popularity in back that are you also see him arise to popularity in other impoverished areas in nasiriyah, in her la in said the nurse buster. and that's where you seem protest today as well . he actually won a couple of seats that from his party, won a couple of seats from there as well. so it is because depaulo,

the politics of iraq has disillusioned the people of iraq, so much so that they're now looking for somebody to overhaul the system. there. thought said there is going to be there, man, he is going to implement those changes. he came with the largest majority in the parliament, but he was opposed by the parties which are backed by iran or which support the status quo. so if you have a scenario where you have a leader who says, i can look after you likes other than all of a sudden you have these messages of i'm going to remove my m piece from parliament . i'm going to go on a hunger strike. and i'm removing my politics, you're sending very, very odd messages to the public who are looking to you for leadership. well, i think looking at it from the outside might look her weird or odd, but was not outside. there has had a history of this. remember, this is somebody who was the most wanted person because he did not let sather city fall to the us government forces which are fighting him. this is somebody who went to um, to get his ido is spiritual degree and cause he himself to iran. and now he's somebody

who is anti iran and who was riding on the sentiment of iran as part of the problem . as you see in bay city in iraq, some of the other side has had a political career. his followers know that he is going to be changing skins, is going to be changing shades of his politics. it is interesting that it is coming at a point when people were looking at him for a solution. and it looks like that he's didn't the message that he's trying to convey to his people that he tried and failed. and now because the pull up, the political system cannot be changed from within. it has to be overhauled from outside, outside of the politics, which is a very difficult place and a very dangerous place to be because nobody knows how's the is going to spiral forward. who is going to be in charge right now in back that there are there clashes that have been ongoing for hours and hours. and we clearly do not know who's fighting home. if the rice along fighting the popular mobilization forces is the popular mobilization forces still backed by the rocky,

i mean the federal police. these are all questions that show you that iraq is a powder keg and it should not come as a surprise that is come to a head now, where are the security services? and in this particular case, some are because, you know, i say we got the coordination framework, a group of a political bodies that you've got the armed factions, if you can, just for one to a better phrase, all fighting and buying right now on the streets of baghdad, when can the security forces go in, you know, are they strong enough? do they have the will to do it? or will they come up against so much want see fearsome falls in terms of all of these armed groups that are all backed by various political groups? well, it's very interesting because you've, you dogged the security forces of the monolith. they're not in baghdad. you have the rocky for the police, you have the iraq security commission. you have the security cell. you have the various militias, which form which come under the command of the rocky prime minister and hence are part of the iraqi army. but yet they all have minds of their own and they can

fragment from and come back to the folds of these various legal umbrellas that they operate under. remember, that's what i salaam, the other lawyer militia. it never really took to the streets as it has now. we saw vehicles we saw on ben and on the other side as well, we've seen shots be 5 live ammunition being used. so the problem is that the security, especially in back that is not limited to just one party or one security force. and because there are so many tiers of those forces, you can only imagine that in a crisis like this, where communications are down, where mic signals are coming in. where, what's, how groups are exploding the various messages? who do you listen to? whose orders do you follow? where do you stop and where do you go forward from? so that is why iraq has been in paralysis. for years and years. the people in iraq have lost faith in the political system, and that is what we've seen time. and again, flare up and down. and this is unfortunately going to be the continuing course of

action in iraq unless it goes to a much darker place, which people, according in the united states, to be of heard from the united nation united nations. we've heard from the un mission in iraq. we've heard from you baset is that they shouldn't. and iraq needs to take a deep breath. and all of these political forces, once again, need to come together and find a solution. difficult lead. had certainly had something for the coming days as i'm been java, thanks very much for joining us. out of the day's other top story now, buck his sons, planning minister says the initial economic losses from the floods could be higher than $10000000000.00 after the ball estimates that it'll take up to 5 years to rebuild and recover the reins of killed more than 1100 people since june, the government is warning of food shortages because of how many crops have been lost. military helicopters have been deployed to help those stranded in remote areas. well, they're all conflicting reports though. also coming out of ukraine after a long day counter offensive against russian forces in the south in an effort to

take care sean region. ukraine says its troops of broken through russian defences in several parts of the front line that a city of casual forcing its units to retreat. but russia says ukrainian advance has been repelled in ukraine, suffered heavy losses. thousands of people have been leaving the region to escape the fighting. alice cocked chuck cove is a russia and ukraine risk analyst for s and p global intelligence. he's explains why both sides of fighting so hard to control casual. yes, on is the only cissy on the left, western bank of the nipper river, which is under russian control. and it opens a gateway to the a potential ground defensive, which russia potentially would aspire to undertake towards mc alive. and then just so in order to deny ukraine, the black sea coast. so if you create managers to retake hassan, it would be very significant because it means that russia would not be able to

stage such an offensive in my view, very significantly, ukrainian armed forces and now heavily dependent on western western manufactured weapons and ammunition. because the, the soviets iraq sub standard side, which was previously available to ukraine, has been either the stock has been either depleted or destroyed during the 1st 6 months fighting. so increasingly, ukraine depends on continued supply weapons from the west. and with the latest arrivals which are more complex and more advanced western weapons, its military capabilities have improved. ah, what field is there with me, robin doe, reminder of all the top stories, at least 20 people are being killed, falling gunfire and explosions in bagdad screens own the.