Following statement by a powerful Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, calling for a “Million Man March,” by Iraqis to protest the presence of US soldiers on Iraqi soil, thousands of Iraqis marched through the streets of Baghdad Friday, calling for US soldiers to leave Iraq.
Even though there was a heavy security presence along the pathway of the march and the green zone which houses the US Embassy in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of people could be seen carrying signs that read “no, no to America” and “no, no to occupation” amid a sea of Iraqi flags.
Protesters could also be seen carrying posters with caricatures of US President Donald Trump.
Following the US killing of Iran General Qassem Soleimani on January 3, there have been growing calls for US troops to leave the country, as many Iraqis believe killing someone without their permission on their soil is a breach of the country’s sovereignty.
Iran responded to the US targeted killing by firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US military bases in Iraq, leading some US troops to be treated for concussions despite denial of troop injury by Donald Trump. (Ahmad, Al-Rubaye/AFP, Getty Images)