Hundreds of Iraqis have taken to the streets in support of the parallel government that Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has announced for the country.
| Moqtada's looking for a bullet... |
A day after Sadr announced the formation of his "Iraqi government" in defiance of the US-led occupation, a large crowd gathered in the city of Najaf, pledging their whole-hearted support.
| "Moqtada, we will defend you with our blood!" |
"We are ready to sacrifice our souls for you, Sadr," chanted the demonstrators as they roamed the streets of the city.
| Sammy's gone. Time to dust off another dictator. They just refuse to learn... |
A firebrand cleric, Sadr had announced the formation of the government during his weekly sermon in the town of Kufa. "I have decided and I have formed a government made up of several ministries, including ministries of justice, finance, information, interior, foreign affairs, endowments and the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice," the young cleric had said. "If you agree, I ask you to demonstrate peacefully in order to express you support," Sadr had exhorted.
| "Get out there and beat some women!" |
Responding to his call, the crowd in Najaf registered their noisy support. "We are against the American occupation forces and we back everything that Moqtada Sadr says," one of the demonstrators said.
| "We are automatons. We have no minds of our own..." |
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