Iraqis protest, seek ouster of US troops

Baghdad:thousands of supporters of populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered in Baghdad on Friday for a rally to demand the ouster of US troops, putting the protest-hit capital on edge.

The march rattled the separate, months-old protest movement that has gripped the capital and the Shia-majority south since October, demanding a government overhaul, early elections and more accountability.

In the early hours of Friday, thousands of men, women and children of all ages massed under grey skies in the Jadiriyah district of east Baghdad.

“Get out, get out, occupier!” some shouted, while others chanted, “Yes to sovereignty!”

A representative of Sadr took to the stage at the protest site and read out a statement by the influential Shia cleric and populist politician.

It called for all foreign forces to leave Iraq, the cancellation of Iraq’s security agreements with the US, the closure of Iraqi airspace to American military and surveillance aircraft and for US President Donald Trump not to be “arrogant” when addressing Iraqi officials.

“If all this is implemented, we will deal with it as a non-occupying country - otherwise it will be considered a country hostile to Iraq,” the statement said.

The American military presence has been a hot-button issue in Iraq since a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-muhandis outside Baghdad airport on January 3. Two days later, parliament voted for all foreign troops, including some 5,200 US personnel, to leave the country.

Joint operations against IS have been on hold since the drone attack, which triggered Iranian missile strikes against US troops in Iraq.