"No, No America": Iraq protesters demand expulsion of US troops

Tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied in central Baghdad on Friday calling for the expulsion of U.S. troops, but the protest mostly dissipated after a few hours despite fears of violence following a cleric's call for a "million strong" turnout.
 
Populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr convened the march after the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and an Iraqi paramilitary chief in Baghdad this month.
 
His eventual decision to hold it away from a separate anti-government protest camp, and away from the U.S. embassy, looked pivotal in keeping the march peaceful. However two protesters were killed and 25 wounded later in a separate protest.
 
Throngs started gathering early on Friday at al-Hurriya Square near Baghdad's main university. They avoided Tahrir Square, symbol of mass protests against Iraq's ruling elite.
 
"We want them all out - America, Israel, and the corrupt politicians in government," said Raed Abu Zahra, a health worker from southern Samawa, who had come by bus to Baghdad and stayed in Sadr City, a sprawling district controlled by Sadr's followers.
 
"We support the anti-government protests in Tahrir Square as well, but understand why Sadr held this protest here so it doesn't take attention from theirs," he added.
 
The protests have shattered nearly two years of relative calm following the 2017 defeat of Islamic State and threaten to send the country back into major civil strife.
 
Unrest erupted in October with protests against a corrupt ruling elite, including Iran-backed politicians, that have met deadly force from government security forces and pro-Iran paramilitaries that dominate the state.
 
Washington's killing this month of Iranian military mastermind Qassem Soleimani added a new dimension to the crisis.