Gathering in Baghdad on the anniversary of the death of the Iranian general

BAGHDAD (AP) – Singing anti-American slogans, hundreds of people gathered in the Iraqi capital on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of the assassination of a powerful Iranian general and a senior Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. drone strike.

Crowds called for the removal of Iraqi forces from Iraq at a rally in Baghdad. The strike killed General Qassim Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s Quds elite, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a deputy commander of the Iran-backed militia known as the Iraqi People’s Mobilization Force.

“We will not allow you to remain in the land of the martyrs from today,” read some posters. American and Israeli flags were thrown on the ground, trampling on people.

The killing of Soleiman and al-Muhandis at Baghdad airport brought Iran and the United States closer to the conflict and sparked outrage in Iraq, and later led parliament to adopt a non-binding resolution calling for the expulsion of foreign troops. Iraq.

The US-led coalition formally ended its Iraqi mission to fight Islamic State in late December. About 2,500 troops will remain in the near future, however, to continue assisting Iraqi forces in their advisory role. Some militia leaders have insisted on the departure of all U.S. troops.

“We will not accept the complete withdrawal as revenge for the blood of our martyrs,” said Hadi al-Ameri, a coalition leader in Iran.

Supporters of Iranian-aligned Shiite groups marched from several Iraqi provinces to the Jadriyah demonstration near the headquarters of powerful militias.