US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi both emphasized the importance of securing and stabilizing Baghdad. The Saturday phone-call between the two leaders came amid renewed political turmoil in Baghdad where, on Friday, protesters supported by the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr once again stormed the capital’s Green Zone, demanding that the government implement long-promised reforms. The clashes paralyzed the city, injured hundreds, killed at least four, and saw the government closing key roads to the city’s Green Zone and deploying soldiers there. After a brief curfew the government claimed order was restored. US officials have expressed cautious concern that the troubles in Baghdad may cause the government to lose focus of the war with the Islamic State. In their phone call, Obama and Abadi “agreed on the critical importance of improving the security of Baghdad and the International Zone, noting the importance of continued dialogue among all parties in Iraq so that the Iraqi people can address their aspirations through their democratic institutions,” according to a White House statement. On Friday, the Iraqi military implied that the protesters were hampering the war against ISIS.