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Iraqi Shias prepare for protests Iraqi Shias protest in holy city
(about 5 hours later)
Thousands of supporters of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are gathering in the holy city of Najaf to hold mass demonstrations. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shias have gathered in the holy city of Najaf for a mass demonstration calling for US-led troops to leave Iraq.
Mr Sadr has called for a million-strong protest to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Saddam Hussein's fall. Up to one million people were expected in Najaf after an appeal by Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, who branded US forces "your arch enemy" in a statement.
The protesters will demand the withdrawal of coalition troops. He called Iraqis to Najaf to mark four years since US troops entered Baghdad and ended the rule of Saddam Hussein.
A 24-hour ban on movement by all vehicles, for fear of car bomb attacks on the anniversary, has been imposed in Baghdad from 0500 (0100 GMT) on Monday. Baghdad has been placed under curfew for the duration of the anniversary.
On Sunday, a blast in Mahmudiya killed 18 people, while five more died in a Baghdad car bomb attack. A 24-hour ban on movement by all vehicles, for fear of car bomb attacks, began in the city at 0500 (0100 GMT) on Monday, where four years ago a giant statue of Saddam Hussein was torn down, symbolising the fall of his regime.
The US military, meanwhile, said that six of its soldiers were killed on Sunday, including four in Baghdad. Followers of Moqtada Sadr play a key role in Iraq, with the Mehdi Army said to be heavily involved in the sectarian conflicts of the past year.
'Your archenemy' However, the militia is reported to have stood down in response to a nearly eight-week-old US "surge", or security drive in Baghdad.
Moqtada al-Sadr called for the mass protest in a statement on Sunday. Mr Sadr is not expected to attend the protestsThe cleric did not appear personally, but called for the mass protest in a statement issued on Sunday.
"In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," the fiery cleric said. "In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," he said.
Mr Sadr is not expected to attend the protests He ordered Iraqis not to "walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your arch enemy" and to turn all their efforts on US forces.
He ordered Iraqis not to "walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy" and to turn all their efforts on US forces. But he warned followers against violence, urging the Mehdi Army and Iraqi security forces "to be to be patient and to unite your efforts against the enemy and not against the sons of Iraq".
Thousands of Shias responded by heading to Najaf in tightly packed buses and cars, with the Baghdad-Najaf road reportedly crammed. Thousands of Shias responded by heading to Najaf, 160km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, in tightly-packed buses and cars.
Some demonstrators shouted slogans: "No, no, no to America... Moqtada, yes, yes, yes," they chanted. Some demonstrators burned US flags and shouted slogans: "No, no, no to America... Moqtada, yes, yes, yes," they chanted.
Reports said demonstrators had been told to carry the Iraqi flag. "It will be an Iraqi demonstration in the name of all Iraqis," a representative of Mr Sadr told the French news agency AFP. Many demonstrators arrived in Najaf carrying the Iraqi flag.
A police spokesman in Najaf, Col Ali Jiryo, said cars were banned from entering the city for a 24-hour period. Buses would transport demonstrators to the city centre, he said. "It will be an Iraqi demonstration in the name of all Iraqis," a representative of Mr Sadr told AFP news agency.
Cars were banned from entering the city for a 24-hour period but buses were carrying demonstrators to the city centre.
'Nationalist chord''Nationalist chord'
Senior American officers have described Moqtada al-Sadr as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability, says the BBC's Jonathan Charles in Baghdad. Moqtada Sadr's supporters hold a crucial block of seats in Iraq's parliament, giving them an influential voice in Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government.
They accuse his Mehdi army militia of carrying out killings, fuelling the sectarian divide between Shias and Sunnis. Correspondents say the symbolism of his call for thousands of followers to gather in Najaf, where he keeps his headquarters, may be a sign the cleric is preparing to return to the spotlight.
The cleric has not been seen in public since the start of a US-led security crackdown in Baghdad two months ago, our correspondent adds. US officials say Mr Sadr has sought a haven in Iran in recent months as US troops began implementing the US "surge" against Shia militias and Sunni insurgents.
The Americans claim he has fled to Iran but he still remains a powerful figure in Iraq, preparing for the moment when Iraqis eventually take full control of their country. US President George W Bush is sending an extra 28,000 troops to Iraq, mainly to Bagdad.
US-backed Iraqi troops have been clashing with militias loyal to Mr Sadr in Diwaniya, south of Baghdad, for the last three days. Violence has continued with a succession of bomb attacks thought to be linked to Sunni insurgents, but Mr Sadr's followers have been largely quiet, Iraqi officials say.
In the US, Senator Joseph Lieberman said that Mr Sadr's words were proof the US troop surge was working. However, renewed fighting flared over the weekend, as followers loyal to the cleric fought intense battles with US and Iraqi troops in the town of Diwaniya.
"He is not calling for a resurgence of sectarian conflict. He's striking a nationalist chord," he said. "He's acknowledging that the surge is working." The US military, meanwhile, said six of its soldiers were killed on Sunday, including four in Baghdad
Up to 30,000 new US troops have been assigned to Iraq for a security crackdown on militia groups that began two months ago.