Sadr calls for million-man march against US presence in Iraq

VT Senior Reporter and Broadcaster Kevin Barrett goes on Iranian Press TV to discuss the Influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his demand Iraqis stage a “million-man march” against US military presence in the country

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PressTV – Influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has demanded that Iraqis stage a “million-man march” against the continued US military presence in the country, days after Iraq’s parliament voted to expel the American troops following an assassination operation by Washington on Iraqi soil.

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
Influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (Photo by AFP)

The march is needed “to condemn the American presence and its violations,” Sadr, who leads the largest parliamentary bloc, Sairoon, said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“The skies, land, and sovereignty of Iraq are being violated every day by occupying forces,” he added. The cleric, however, cautioned that such a show of popular disapproval should be a “peaceful, unified demonstration,” but did not offer a date or location for the proposed rally.

On January 5, the parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution calling for the expulsion of all US-led forces, two days after the US military assassinated senior Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), among others, near the Baghdad airport.

Iraqi lawmakers approve bill to expel US forces from country
Iraqi lawmakers approve the bill to expel US forces from the country

The lawmakers, in line with their national and regulatory responsibilities, singed the four-point draft.



The parliament resolution also urged the Baghdad government to drop a request for assistance from a US-led coalition of foreign troops purportedly operating against Daesh remnants in Iraq.

The Iraqis censured the targeted killings — which were ordered by US President Donald Trump — as a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty as well as the security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

In a letter to the parliament following the vote, Sadr called for immediate cancellation of the security agreement with the US, the closure of the US embassy, the expulsion of US troops in “a humiliating manner,” and the criminalization of communication with the US administration.

Following the parliamentary vote, the office of Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi asked Washington to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad to initiate preparations for the withdrawal of American troops, who number around 5,200.

Iraq wants US to set up mechanism for withdrawal of troops

Iraq wants the US to set up a mechanism for withdrawal of troops

In response, Trump threatened to sanction Iraq “like they’ve never seen before ever” if Baghdad were to expel US troops.

Based on reports by the Wall Street Journal the US administration has threatened to shut off Iraq’s access to its main account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which is used to collect revenues from the Arab country’s overseas oil sales if Baghdad expelled the American forces.

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1 COMMENT

  1. I have had friends in almost all branches of our corrupt military. Here is the story one related to me which happened when he was stationed in Germany. He was a low level member. A Sergeant took him over near a few railroad freight cars. He pointed to them: “Get rid of them and don’t tell me what you did with it”. He meant get rid of everything inside them, not the cars themselves. So the first thing they do is look for a body of water, lake or ocean to dump them into. The corrupt Military is destroying our planet. It must be shut down. This is an emergency. It must be brought home and disbanded entirely before the planet become so poisoned no human or animal life can survive. Everyone rises to their level of incompetence. Our corrupt government is a perfect example; everyone is totally corrupt. The inmates have taken over the asylum in America today. This is an emergency. It may be too late now.

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