Protesters rally against U.S.

Hundreds of people rallied in the Iraqi capital Saturday to mark the anniversary of the killing of a powerful Iranian general and a top Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. drone strike.

The crowd called for the expulsion of remaining American forces from Iraq during the demonstration commemorating the air strike at Baghdad’s airport. The strike killed Gen. Qassim Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iranbacked militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis at Baghdad’s airport on Jan. 3, 2020, pushed Iran and the United States perilously

close to all-out conflict and sparked outrage in Iraq, leading parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.

Some 2,500 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future to continue supporting Iraqi forces in an advisory role. Some militia leaders have insisted on the departure of all U.S. troops.