Sadr Loyalists Protest Proposed U.S. Presence

BAGHDAD, Oct. 18 -- Thousands of Iraqis loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated Saturday in Baghdad against a proposed deal that would allow U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after the end of the year.

The protesters, waving Iraqi flags and banners bearing messages critical of the United States, marched from Sadr City in eastern Baghdad to a large square in the city's center, where Sadrist leaders delivered fiery speeches.

"No, no agreement!" the protesters chanted. "No, no America!"

A group of protesters placed life-size effigies of President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice near the stage. The one of Rice had black, knee-high stockings that appeared to mock the leather boots she had donned in Germany in 2006 and dangling earrings shaped like the Star of David. Bush's had a bandaged head and arm and was holding what appeared to be a yellow popsicle.

The figures were set ablaze.

U.S. military officials said the demonstration was an example of Iraqis' newfound ability to voice grievances without fear of retaliation.

"The improved security situation in Baghdad has enabled Iraqi citizens to express their views without fear and concern for their own safety or repercussion from a dictator," Maj. Mark Cheadle, a U.S. military spokesman, said in an e-mail. "Iraqis have every right to demonstrate, and it is encouraging the population can express their views today because of their freely elected sovereign government."

The Sadrists, who hold 30 of the 275 seats in Iraq's parliament, are among the harshest critics of the U.S. military presence. The demonstration, which they called a "million-man march," was originally scheduled for April but was canceled because of heavy fighting in Sadr City.

The Sadrists' militia, the Mahdi Army, has intermittently battled U.S. troops since 2004. Militia members assumed a low profile after fierce clashes in the spring in the southern city of Basra and in Sadr City, home to nearly 2 million people. The fighting ended after the Sadrists agreed to let the Iraqi army move into the district, which the militia had largely controlled.

Sadr, who lately has spent most of his time in Iran, did not attend the rally. A Sadrist leader read a statement from the cleric calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.

No American soldiers were in sight during the march, but surveillance drones could be heard circling overhead.

Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers stood on the sidelines of the protest. As six soldiers walked toward their vehicle, a handful of young demonstrators admonished the troops. But Sadrist leaders stepped in to avoid a confrontation.

In another incident at the protest, a young man held up a large photo of Sadr to block an image of Ayatollah Mohammed Bakir Hakim, the slain leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, another Shiite political party.

The coalition of Shiite parties that propelled Nouri al-Maliki to the prime ministerial post and other Shiites to top government jobs has disintegrated since the 2005 elections, and fissures have widened as politicians gear up for provincial elections scheduled for early next year.