Sadr Calls for a "Million-Man March" Against US Troops in Iraq

Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a "million-man march" against the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, just days after the country's parliament voted to expel foreign troops from their territory.

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Through his Twitter account, the political leader expressed that "the heaven, earth and sovereignty of Iraq are being violated every day by the U.S. occupation forces.

Without being specific on date or place, Sadr has spoken for the union of Iraqis in a peaceful demonstration to condemn the U.S. presence and its violations.

On January 5th, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution calling on the government to expel foreign troops and to cancel the U.S.-led coalition assistance that has been working with Baghdad to fight ISIS.

The vote in parliament came after U.S. airstrikes killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani just outside Baghdad's international airport in an action ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sadr also condemned the parliament's resolution as a "weak response," saying the move was not an appropriate reaction to recent events in Iraq and calling on armed groups to unite in a resistance front.

With that purpose, Sadr held a meeting last Monday in the Iranian city of Qom with leaders of several armed groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, one of the allies that have strongly called for retaliation after the assassination of General Soleimani.