Iraqis flock to city for anti-U.S. protest

[w8liftinglady]

Source: Reuters

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Thousands of Iraqis streamed to the holy southern city of Najaf on Sunday in response to a call by fiery Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for a big anti-American protest on Monday.


Sadr, who blames the U.S.-led invasion for Iraq's unrelenting violence, has urged Iraqis to protest on a day that marks the fourth anniversary of when American forces swept into central Baghdad.

"In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," Sadr, who accuses U.S. forces of deliberately fomenting civil strife in Iraq, said in a statement.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070408/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[Monkeyman]

1. Happy Easter Partner

Welcome back

[frogcycle]

2. That is actually a welcome comment

btw, hiya w8l-l, missed ya

calling for "demonstrations" rather than wholesale attacks (which he apparently also did) is potentially encouraging

Is he trying to signal something?

Just telling us "go away and we'll stop?"

[LiberalVoice]

3. I doubt it.

He wants shiite control of Iraq. If we leave it wouldn't make sense for such a powerful person not to use it to get what they want.

[TwilightGardener]

6. No, calling for demonstrations is not encouraging--we've got enough

anti-American sentiment floating around there as it is, with a majority of Iraqis thinking it's OK to attack our troops. He's rallying support for his triumphant return from wherever he's been hiding, and the demos will soon turn into attacks. Bad news.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. Time to support the troops and bring them home. Forcing them to illegally occupy

Iraq is a war crime.

The Iraqi people know it's alright to attack a foreign occupation force. How couldn't it be?

[Zhade]

14. Guess what - we illegally invaded. They're legally justified in attacking.

I don't LIKE that fact, but fact it remains under international law.

[frogcycle]

9. well. since we won't take the hint

it is not encouraging, even if it could be

[msongs]

4. wow look at all those targets - think sadr wants a bomb blast to boost hits power

over all the sheeple? think: martyrs for sadr. so he can provide a big target and get a big PR boost.

naw, he's not that kind of guy is he?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[John Q. Citizen]

12. He's a nationalist fighting a foreign occupation. n/t

[jpak]

5. Four years after the fall of Baghdad, the honeymoon comes to an end

No more flowers for you Chimp...

[saigon68]

26. Or continuing Rose Petal Parades

[fbahrami]

7. Good morning

Wake up people!

Who would you blame if another country occupied yours?

Think.

[peacebird]

8. the occupiers of course....

Nothing good is going to come from this "mis-adventure" in Iraq......

[Massachusetts]

10. FUBAR

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. "Hundreds of thousands" - perhaps a million

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.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6537861.stm

[ohio2007]

23. The protest in Najaf, 160km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, broke up after about three hours.

turnout wasn't in the tens of millions, millions or even hundreds of thousands.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6537861.st...

thousands of al Sadrs did follow up on his call . He is still in Iran I believe. That may have kept attendance down imo.


video of the thousands that participated;
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=291_1176132709

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. That link says hundreds of thousands

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shias have demonstrated in the holy city of Najaf, calling for US-led troops to leave Iraq.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6537861.stm

[ohio2007]

27. ..but the video I posted moves more like thousands

as opposed to a quote from another article that was suggesting "millions"

Besides,live video shots are far more revealing then still pics with a caption.

from your link;


Moqtada Sadr did not attend the protests

[CJCRANE]

15. The law of unintended consequences.

So the Coalition has done the Mehdi Army's dirty work for them in ousting Saddam and now the radical Shi'ites want the troops out.

[Eugene]

16. Huge turnout for anti-US rally

Source: The Guardian

11.30am
Huge turnout for anti-US rally

Staff and agencies
Monday April 9, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of the radical Shia cleric
Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets of two Shia holy cities in
Iraq today and protested against "US occupiers".

The rally was called by Mr Sadr, who said in a statement
yesterday that his militia followers should redouble efforts to
drive US forces out of Iraq, describing them as "your arch-
enemy".

-snip-

Mr Sadr's statement yesterday called for Iraq's army and police
to join him in defeating the US.

Today some Iraqi soldiers in uniform joined the crowd, which
was led by at least a dozen turbaned clerics - including one
Sunni.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2053176,00.html

[ohio2007]

17. Any stringers dispatched to Najaf taking pictures?

They say hundreds of thousands have shown up but the value of the rally is in the pics provided to the western MSM as well as al Jazeera ;



this pic looks more like thousands. maybe tens of thousands of the mahdi army are still on the way ?

[Eugene]

18. The photo is from an AFP photographer.

And obviously the demonstration is larger than the portion
in a single photo at the back of the field.

[ohio2007]

19. Ahmad Al-Rubaye and his money shots

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070408/photos_wl_me_afp/a1bfb1eda0ba8fe3e15b565ad7b60868&g=events/iraq/082701iraqplane;_ylt=A0WTcUojixpGENgAchVg.3QA



he needs a better location if he wants more $$



http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/iraq/021407iraqalsadr;_ylt=AoZek5Lpjq.dBbd3AX_lWpcZO7gF



maybe al Jazeera will get better pics

this one by Ceerwan Aziz of Reuters looks a bit surreal


imo, the general public of Iraq woud still be a bit gun shy going out in public unless they were with a militia.

[krispos42]

20. Cynical thought:

What if :tinfoilhat: our military decides to 'miss' a few IEDs with the hope that they will detonate among the protesters?

What if :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: the military decides to plant a few of their own?

[Eugene]

21. Redundant. Gunmen are already attacking protesters.

Source: Reuters

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, April 9
09 Apr 2007 11:31:17 GMT
Source: Reuters

April 9 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1050 GMT
on Monday:

-snip-

ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed two Shi'ite protestors who were heading south
towards the holy city of Najaf from Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of
Baghdad, police said. Seven others were wounded in the attack.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ANW940793.htm

[ohio2007]

22. Imagine how much worse it would be if

the followers of al Sadr were not detained;
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2800114


btw, isn't Najaf considered a stronghold of the al Sadr ?
If a large showing was to be photographed,seems it should have turned up in Najaf;

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

NAJAF - Tens of thousands of Iraqis converged on the city of Najaf to denounce the U.S.-led occupation on the fourth anniversary of the occupation in Iraq.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ANW940793.htm


this April 9th is also the 4rth anniversary of Saddams fall from power. At least up north in the Kurdish areas that is how it 's being covered.

[superconnected]

25. Thanking us for their free speech.

Yeah George, it's amazing how we liberate a people that don't want to be liberated, throw their country into bloody turmoil, kill tens of thousands of children, women and old men, and then they treat us like WE did somehthing wrong.

Someone email them and tell them that George says they're supposed to welcome us with flowers.

[Eugene]

28. U.S. military estimates 5,000-7,000, lauds freedom to assemble

Iraqi citizens exercise peaceful right of assembly in Najaf - MNF Iraq

?link">U.S. Army photo

The crowd in the U.S. Army photo looks awfully big for just 7,000 people.