Iraqis rally in Shiite holy cities for anti-American march

Thousands of Shiites on Monday begun demonstrations in the southern holy cities of Kufa and Najaf to protest against the United States on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

Crowds of people, men, women and children holding flags and anti-U.S. banners gathered in Najaf City and nearby town of Kufa.

The rally initially begun in Kufa where thousands protestors riding buses and cars poured into Najaf, while the road to the north between Baghdad and Najaf was packed with hundreds of vehicles crammed with passengers waving Iraqi flags and chanting religious and anti-U.S. slogans.

"No, no, no to America," and followed by "Muqtada, yes, yes, yes" they chanted.

In Baghdad's Shiite bastion of Sadr City Iraqi flags were being flown from homes, shops and vehicles, while police escorted convoys of pickup trucks carrying youths waving flags.

On Sunday, Sadr office issued a statement urging Iraqis to come out in full force on Monday to mark the day U.S. forces took Baghdad in 2003.

"The faithful should participate in a demonstration in Najaf on April 9, demanding that the occupiers withdraw form our lands," Shiite radical leader Muqtada Sadr said in his statement. "They should carry or wear Iraqi flags."

The government announced a 24-hour vehicle ban which took effect in Baghdad at 5 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Monday, Brigadier Qassim Moussawi, a U.S.-Iraqi security operation spokesman, said on Sunday.

"There will be protests marking the fourth anniversary. We don' t want to give the terrorists a chance to use this opportunity," he said.

The U.S. military blamed Sadr, who leads the Mehdi Army militia for fuelling sectarian violence with Sunni Muslims. It is said that Sadr is now in the neighboring Iran, but his aides denied, saying that their leader is in Iraq and has not fled the country to escape the security crackdown.

Source: Xinhua