Iraqis demonstrate against U.S. troop presence
CNN report (April 9th): Tens of thousands of demonstrators in eastern Baghdad marked the eighth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime with a protest against the American troop presence there.
The demonstrators, followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, rallied in Mustansriya Square, where they called all U.S troops to withdraw from Iraq at the end of the year.
The protesters carried Iraqi flag and banners, with some chanting "Baghdad is a free country, America get out!" and "No for Occupation, No for America."
Iraqis Protest U.S. After Comments From Gates
NY Times reports (April 9th): A day after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gatessuggested that American troops could remain here for years, tens of thousands of protesters allied with Moktada al-Sadr, the radical anti-American Shiite cleric, flooded the streets demanding an end to the American military presence.
Similar protests, although drawing much smaller numbers, took place in Sunni districts. Demonstrators in Adhamiya, a Sunni stronghold in Baghdad, chanted, “Leave, leave, occupier!” And a few hundred people demonstrated against the Americans in Ramadi, in Sunni-dominated Anbar Province.
Angry crowds in Baghdad, Falluja protest conditions in Iraq
CNN reports (April 9th): In Adhamiya, a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood, nearly 2,000 men and women gathered outside Abu Hanifa Shrine. Some of the protesters carried Iraqi flags, and others held banners calling for the release of detainees and compensation for "the victims of the occupation."
In Falluja, nearly 300 people marked the anniversary with a demonstration outside the provincial council building, witnesses said. They demanded the release of detainees in Iraq's prisons and compensation for the families of victims who were killed in the past eight years. The protesters also warned Iraqi lawmakers not to allow U.S military bases in Iraq.
No comments:
Post a Comment