Thousands rally in Baghdad against US presence

BAGHDAD: Thousands of followers of Moqtada al-Sadr staged a massive rally in Baghdad on Thursday calling for US forces to leave, as Iraqi leaders consider asking for an extended American troop presence.

The demonstration comes with just months to go before US forces must withdraw from the country, but top American officials have said they hope Iraqi leaders ask for troops to stay, while acknowledging their lack of popularity.

At a protest that was expected to draw tens of thousands to north Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City, named after the anti-US cleric's father, several groups of tightly-stewarded demonstrators wearing identical t-shirts emblazoned with Iraqi flags paraded in unison.

Others at the rally shouted slogans ranging from, "No to the occupation!" to "The people want the occupier to leave!", referring to the still-widely held perception of the US military as an occupying force in Iraq.

Protesters, who varied widely in age and in social class, ranging from the poor to heads of tribes, also burned American and Israeli flags.

Acknowledging that American troops remain unpopular in Iraq, eight years after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, Gates said: "All I can say is that from the standpoint of Iraq's future but also our role in the region, I hope they figure out a way to ask."

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011