Photo Gallery Iraqis Protest US Troops
Thousands of demonstrators marched on Monday from the city of Kufa to neighboring Najaf during an anti-US protest called by Moqtada al-Sadr to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
Shiite supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr shouted slogans as they hit the American flag with shoes in Najaf. The chant of the day was, "No, no to America, yes, yes to Moqtada."
Protesters also arrived in Najaf by car. Baghdad was under a 24-hour curfew forbidding vehicle traffic for the Monday anniversary, so most of the unrest on Monday took place outside the capital.
An Iraqi soldier watches a checkpoint during the vehicle curfew in Baghdad. Al-Sadr on Sunday had exhorted Iraqi police not to cooperate with the Americans, because "they are your archenemy."
Iraqi soldiers examine a donkey cart during the anniversary curfew. "We don't want to give the terrorists a chance to use this opportunity" to cause unrest, said Iraqi Army Brigadier Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for the US-Iraqi crackdown in Baghdad.
Iraqis prepare meals for followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf. Al-Sadr himself has been in hiding since a crackdown against sectarian rebels -- including his Mahdi Army militia -- started in February.
The demonstrations on Monday got off to an early start.
