ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Tens of thousands of Iraqis flocked to Baghdad to participate in a rally called for by firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to demand the removal of American forces from Iraq.
The supporters of Sadr and various Iranian-backed militias marched to the capital's Karrada district, holding up anti-US and anti-Israeli signs. "America killed our national leaders," read one banner.
The demand to expel American troops from Iraq regained traction recently as Iran-US tensions escalated after a US airstrike killed top Iranian general Qasim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi militia commander. Following this, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution that enabled caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi to demand foreign forces leave Iraqi territory.
Washington has accused Tehran-aligned Iraqi militias of carrying out successive attacks on US forces over the past few years, with a recent one killing a US-Iraqi contractor. Iran retaliated to the assassination of Soleimani with missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting American forces.
Sadr called for a "million-man" march against the presence of US forces from his semi-permanent residence in Iran. Most Shia groups, namely Iran-aligned entities, voiced their support for Sadr's statement.
Read More: From Iran, Sadr calls for 'million-man' march against US presence in Iraq
"The hour of independence and sovereignty has come," Sadr said on his Twitter account. Parties and movements that were at odds with Sadr joined the rally, most notably the Dawa Party, led by former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, headed by the notorious militia commander Qais Khazali who split from Sadr years ago.
Iraqi security forces imposed strict measures to protect the gathering that called for US troops to leave as ongoing anti-government protests continued in Baghdad's Tahrir Square.
Read More: Four months into Iraqi protests, violence escalates again
Sadr warned his and other militia's supporters against contact with other protesters, claiming that his call aims to end "occupation" and corruption.
Despite their united efforts against the presence of US troops—who have been aiding the fight against the so-called Islamic State as the head of the International Coalition—the leading Shia parties of Iraq are still divided on finding a successor to Abdul Mahdi, who announced he was stepping down from his post after a particularly violent crackdown against the protesters in early December.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sanctions on Baghdad if it expels American forces. Numbering at over five thousand soldiers, US forces continue to carry out training and support missions for Iraqi forces.
Editing by John J. Catherine