Iraq's Sadrists mark anniversary of US invasion with a protest

Najaf, Iraq - Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr held a protest Friday on the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq amid tight security.

Thousands of Sadrists carried Iraqi flags and shouted slogans such as "Yes, yes to unity" and "Sunni and Shiite Muslims, we won't sell this country" and called for the release of detainees.

Sadrists have staged a protest on the same day every year since the fall of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003. Their leader, al- Sadr, has been a persistent thorn in the side of US forces in since.

In defiance of the US force in June 2003, he established a military wing, the Mahdi Army, which went on to engage in heavy clashes with US forces in the holy city of Najaf.

Though the Mahdi Army has observed a ceasefire since August 2007, which is widely attributed to be behind the decrease of sectarian tensions and violence in Iraq, al-Sadr mobilizes tens of thousands in support of his political aims.

US forces withdrew from towns and cities across the country last June, with troops scheduled to leave the war-torn country later this year.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317839,iraqs-sadrists-mark-anniversary-of-us-invasion-with-a-protest.html.