Iraqi Shias protest in holy city
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shias have gathered in the holy city of Najaf for a mass demonstration calling for US-led troops to leave Iraq.
Up to
one million people were expected in Najaf after an appeal by Shia cleric
Moqtada Sadr, who branded US forces
"your arch enemy" in a statement.
He called Iraqis to Najaf to mark four years since US troops entered Baghdad and ended the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Baghdad has been placed under curfew for the duration of the anniversary.
A 24-hour ban on movement by all vehicles, for fear of car bomb attacks, began in the city at 0500 (0100 GMT) on Monday, where four years ago a giant statue of Saddam Hussein was torn down, symbolising the fall of his regime.
Followers of Moqtada Sadr play a key role in Iraq, with the Mehdi Army said to be heavily involved in the sectarian conflicts of the past year.
However, the militia is reported to have stood down in response to a nearly eight-week-old US "surge", or security drive in Baghdad.
The cleric did not appear personally, but called for the mass protest in a statement issued on Sunday.
"In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," he said.
He ordered Iraqis not to "walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your arch enemy" and to turn all their efforts on US forces.
But he warned followers against violence, urging the Mehdi Army and Iraqi security forces "to be to be patient and to unite your efforts against the enemy and not against the sons of Iraq".
Thousands of Shias responded by heading to Najaf, 160km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, in tightly-packed buses and cars.
Some demonstrators burned US flags and shouted slogans:
"No, no, no to America... Moqtada, yes, yes, yes," they chanted.
Many demonstrators arrived in Najaf carrying the Iraqi flag.
"It will be an Iraqi demonstration in the name of all Iraqis," a representative of Mr Sadr told AFP news agency.
Cars were banned from entering the city for a 24-hour period but buses were carrying demonstrators to the city centre.
'Nationalist chord'
Moqtada Sadr's supporters hold a crucial block of seats in Iraq's parliament, giving them an influential voice in Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government.
Correspondents say the symbolism of his call for thousands of followers to gather in Najaf, where he keeps his headquarters, may be a sign the cleric is preparing to return to the spotlight.
US officials say Mr Sadr has sought a haven in Iran in recent months as US troops began implementing the US "surge" against Shia militias and Sunni insurgents.
US President George W Bush is sending an extra 28,000 troops to Iraq, mainly to Baghdad.
Violence has continued with a succession of bomb attacks thought to be linked to Sunni insurgents, but Mr Sadr's followers have been largely quiet, Iraqi officials say.
However, renewed fighting flared over the weekend, as followers loyal to the cleric fought intense battles with US and Iraqi troops in the town of Diwaniya.
The US military, meanwhile, said six of its soldiers were killed on Sunday, including four in Baghdad
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6537861.stm
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