ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis on Thursday to join anti-US presence protests as Iran-backed groups continue efforts to mobilize supporters.
“The call to homeland” has been sounded, and it is time to reform Iraq’s system and to evict “invaders”, said Sadr in the start of his Thursday message to supporters.
“Men of homeland, women of homeland, children of homeland… the time of independence and sovereignty has ticked. Do you love the homeland?” Sadr asked.
“Hurry to the support of the beloved, as it is calling to you, and don’t renege on your vow,” the cleric added
Sadr’s message is aimed at mobilizing people and supporters for Friday’s protests against the presence of US troops in Iraq. He called for a “million strong” march earlier in January “to condemn the American presence and its violations.”
The US has around 5,000 troops stationed in military bases across Iraq to advise, assist and train Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
The cleric, who also leads the Iraqi parliament’s Sairun Alliance has been vocal against the presence of US troops in Iraq, worsened by US retaliatory airstrikes on December 29, that killed 25 commanders and members of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah (KH). On January 3, US assassinated notorious Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and deputy head of Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Sadr has grown to be the unofficial leader of Iran-backed militias, touting himself as the head of “Iraqi Resistance”.
Sayirun, alongside other Shiite blocs passed a parliamentary resolution on January 5, calling on thee government to expel foreign troops from the country.
Although foreign interference has been a main theme of the protests rocking Iraq since October, many on the streets have rejected Sadr’s call, saying they will not participate in anti-US demonstrations.
Since Wednesday, militia leaders have started mobilization efforts, calling on Iraqis to join the anti-US protests.
“In Iraq, there is a proud nation that cannot be occupied,” Qais al-Khazali, a militia leader, said on Wednesday, likening Friday’s protests with the Iraqi Revolution against the British in 1920.
“This is my message to the children of our nation. I have all the hope and confidence that the coming Friday will be the day of defending sovereignty. It will actually be the day of the Second 1920 Revolution, one century later,” Khazali added.
“We will be the best defendants of the best ancestors, and we will force the occupation of the United States of America to leave our country,” added al-Khazali.
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