Anti-U.S. cleric followers rally against American troops presence

Tens of thousands of supporters of anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr held a parade on Thursday in east Baghdad to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Dozens of groups of unarmed men wearing Iraqi flags marched in the thoroughfare of al-Fallah Street in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City district, as leaders of the groups of the parade were waving Iraqi flags or carrying placards saying "No, no, occupiers" and " No, no, America."

Thousands of people gathered on the sides of the thoroughfare to greet the groups which came from different Iraqi provinces to take part in the parade. Some Sadr's followers burned U.S. and Israeli flags while others raising the pictures of Moqtada al-Sadr.

"This parade is a scream of rejection to the occupation, it is only the beginning before we will start peaceful strikes if the Americans insist on staying, then the Mahdi Army will resume its activities," Basim al-Araji, a Mahdi Army militiaman told Xinhua.

The protest is seen as a message to Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki that there is a stubborn opposition by Shiite loyalist to Moqtada al-Sadr to any extension of U.S. troops presence in the country after 2011.

Two days ago, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he hopes the Iraqi government will ask U.S. troops to stay beyond the end of this year, when they are scheduled to pull out from the country.

"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 ( for longer U.S. military presence)," he said at a conference at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

"And I think the United States will be willing to say yes when that time comes," Gates added.

Earlier in the month, Maliki said he will discuss with the Iraqi political leaders the possible remaining for thousands of U. S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011.

"I will call on the leaders of the political blocs for a meeting soon to discuss the issue (extension of U.S. troops' presence in Iraq)," Maliki said.

"If they accept I will say yes, and if they refuse I will say no," Maliki said without revealing his own opinion over keeping troops in Iraq beyond December withdrawal deadline.

On April 9, Sadr threatened that he would order his Mahdi Army militia to resume activities against the U.S. troops if they stay in the country after the end of 2011.

"If the occupiers will not get out (of Iraq) by the end of 2011, we will left the freeze of the Mahdi Army to resume the armed resistance," Sadr said in a statement during a rally for the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad by U.S.-led forces.

In 2007, Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers, the powerful Mahdi Army militia, to freeze activities against U.S. troops after clashes with Iraqi security forces and other rival Shiite militias.

Mahdi Army's cease-fire along with the U.S. troops offensives with extra troops and the uprising of Sunnis against al-Qaida, has contributed to the security improvement during the past four years.

In mid 2010, U.S. troops in Iraq had been reduced to below 50, 000 soldiers. Washington said that the remaining U.S. troops in Iraq are conducting support and training missions.

U.S. military forces are to pull out completely from Iraq by the end of 2011, according to the security pact signed late in 2008 between Baghdad and Washington.

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