Kanjwinjwi
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 22, 2017
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A massive demonstration –called for by a prominent Shia cleric– has flooded the streets of the Iraq's capital Baghdad, with thousands voicing their anger at the US military presence there.
Early on Friday morning, throngs of protesters – men and women, young and old – began amassing at al-Hurriya Square in central Baghdad, near the city's main university. The anti-America rally, dubbed the "Million-man March," was called by Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraq's top Shiite cleric.
Some were wearing white robes, symbolizing their readiness to die for a religious cause, while others were pictured holding signs that read: "To the families of American soldiers – insist on the withdrawal of [your] sons from our country or prepare their coffins!"
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Maandamano makubwa Iraq yakidai vikosi vya Marekani viondoke nchini humo
Mamia ya watu wameandamana katika mji mkuu wa Iraq, Baghdad, wakidai vikosi vya Marekani viondoke Iraq.
Kiongozi mwenye ushawishi wa dhehebu la Shia Iraqi, Moqtada al-Sadr awali alitoa wito kwa mamilioni ya raia kushiriki maandamano ya Ijumaa, karibu na ubalozi wa Marekani nchini Iraq.
Vikosi vinavyoungwa mkono na Iran ni miongoni mwa wanaondamana.
Hatua ya Marekani ya kumuua kamanda wa kijesho wa Iran, Jenerali Qasem Soleimani, Januari 3 katika uwanja wa Baghdad uliongeza wasiwasi.
Pia aliyeshambuliwa kwa ndege ya Marekani isiyokuwa na rubani ni Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, mmoja wa makamanda wa Iraq ambaye kundi lake la Kataib Hezbollah linaloungwa mkono na Iran pia aliuawa katika shambulio hilo.
Iran ilijibu shambulizi la mauaji ya Jenerali Soleimani kwa kutekeleza shambulizi la kombora dhidi ya kambi mbili za kijeshi za Marekani nchini Iraq.
Baadaye Marekani ilisema kwamba hakuna aliyeshambuliwa wenye shambulio hilo lililotekelezwa Januari 8.
Lakini saa kadhaa baada ya shambulio, vikosi vya jeshi la Iran vilirusha makombora mawili dhidi ya ndege ya abiria ya Ukraine katika mji wa Tehran, Iran kimakosa na kusababisha vifo vya watu wote 176 waliokuwemo kwenye ndege hiyo.
Chanzo: BBC Swahili
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Hundreds of thousands protest US troop presence in Iraq
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Baghdad on Friday calling for US troops to leave Iraq, heeding the call of powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who called for a "Million Man March."
Families and children held aloft signs that read "no, no to America" and "no, no to occupation" amid a sea of Iraqi flags. A heavy security presence surrounded the path of the march, as well as the Green Zone which houses the US embassy.
The Green Zone has been the site of multiple rocket attacks that have increased in frequency since a US attack in Baghdad killed Iran's most powerful military general, Qasem Soleimani, and the Iran-backed Iraqi commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The targeted killing on January 3 sparked growing calls for US troops to leave the country, as many Iraqis criticized what they see as a breach of its sovereignty. There are roughly 5,000 US troops in Iraq.
Iraq's parliament voted to expel the US military from the country following the attack, but the Trump administration has said it does not intend to pull troops out.
At the rally, Sadr reiterated calls for US troops to leave the country in a bid to steer clear of "another war." Iraqi President Barham Salih tweeted an image of the protest. "Iraqis insist on a state with complete sovereignty that will not be breached," tweeted Salih.
Protesters carried posters with caricatures of US President Donald Trump. One showed Trump on the back of a tank, his head sticking out of a ballot box, an apparent reference to the upcoming US election.
Thurgham al-Tamimi arrived at the protests from Karbala with his two children, his wife and his father. "We came here to answer the call of the nation," he told CNN. "Our country is exposed to foreign interference from East and West," an apparent reference to both Iran, which has growing influence in the country, and the United States.
"We don't want any country to decide the fate of Iraq. We want to see Iraq with full sovereignty," he added.
Tamimi wore a white shroud over his shoulders. He said it symbolized his willingness to make a "sacrifice" for the sake of the country.
Some protesters said they also wished to shake off Iran's political influence in the country. "We don't want Iran in Iraq either. We respect them as a neighbor but they should not have a say in Iraq and no one should interfere in our internal affairs," said Um Ahmed, who declined to disclose her full name.
"No to America, and no to Iran. Iraq is for Iraqis," she added.
Iraqis whom CNN spoke to in recent weeks criticized Trump's targeted killing of Soleimani, and said they feared becoming caught in the middle of a war between the US and Iran. Many across Iraq's political divide have called on their government to avoid turning the country into a "battleground state."
Iran responded to the US targeted killing by firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US positions in Iraq, leading some US troops to be treated for concussions. At al-Asad base, which bore the bulk of the attack, US troops received advance warning, and most had already taken cover in bunkers when the missiles struck.
Iraq has also been mired in an internal political crisis, with thousands of anti-government protesters taking to the streets. The demonstrators have protested against corruption perceived as widespread, and object to Iran's growing influence in the country.
Source: CNN
Early on Friday morning, throngs of protesters – men and women, young and old – began amassing at al-Hurriya Square in central Baghdad, near the city's main university. The anti-America rally, dubbed the "Million-man March," was called by Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraq's top Shiite cleric.
Some were wearing white robes, symbolizing their readiness to die for a religious cause, while others were pictured holding signs that read: "To the families of American soldiers – insist on the withdrawal of [your] sons from our country or prepare their coffins!"
=====
Maandamano makubwa Iraq yakidai vikosi vya Marekani viondoke nchini humo
Mamia ya watu wameandamana katika mji mkuu wa Iraq, Baghdad, wakidai vikosi vya Marekani viondoke Iraq.
Kiongozi mwenye ushawishi wa dhehebu la Shia Iraqi, Moqtada al-Sadr awali alitoa wito kwa mamilioni ya raia kushiriki maandamano ya Ijumaa, karibu na ubalozi wa Marekani nchini Iraq.
Vikosi vinavyoungwa mkono na Iran ni miongoni mwa wanaondamana.
Hatua ya Marekani ya kumuua kamanda wa kijesho wa Iran, Jenerali Qasem Soleimani, Januari 3 katika uwanja wa Baghdad uliongeza wasiwasi.
Pia aliyeshambuliwa kwa ndege ya Marekani isiyokuwa na rubani ni Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, mmoja wa makamanda wa Iraq ambaye kundi lake la Kataib Hezbollah linaloungwa mkono na Iran pia aliuawa katika shambulio hilo.
Iran ilijibu shambulizi la mauaji ya Jenerali Soleimani kwa kutekeleza shambulizi la kombora dhidi ya kambi mbili za kijeshi za Marekani nchini Iraq.
Baadaye Marekani ilisema kwamba hakuna aliyeshambuliwa wenye shambulio hilo lililotekelezwa Januari 8.
Lakini saa kadhaa baada ya shambulio, vikosi vya jeshi la Iran vilirusha makombora mawili dhidi ya ndege ya abiria ya Ukraine katika mji wa Tehran, Iran kimakosa na kusababisha vifo vya watu wote 176 waliokuwemo kwenye ndege hiyo.
Chanzo: BBC Swahili
========
Hundreds of thousands protest US troop presence in Iraq
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Baghdad on Friday calling for US troops to leave Iraq, heeding the call of powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who called for a "Million Man March."
Families and children held aloft signs that read "no, no to America" and "no, no to occupation" amid a sea of Iraqi flags. A heavy security presence surrounded the path of the march, as well as the Green Zone which houses the US embassy.
The Green Zone has been the site of multiple rocket attacks that have increased in frequency since a US attack in Baghdad killed Iran's most powerful military general, Qasem Soleimani, and the Iran-backed Iraqi commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The targeted killing on January 3 sparked growing calls for US troops to leave the country, as many Iraqis criticized what they see as a breach of its sovereignty. There are roughly 5,000 US troops in Iraq.
Iraq's parliament voted to expel the US military from the country following the attack, but the Trump administration has said it does not intend to pull troops out.
At the rally, Sadr reiterated calls for US troops to leave the country in a bid to steer clear of "another war." Iraqi President Barham Salih tweeted an image of the protest. "Iraqis insist on a state with complete sovereignty that will not be breached," tweeted Salih.
Protesters carried posters with caricatures of US President Donald Trump. One showed Trump on the back of a tank, his head sticking out of a ballot box, an apparent reference to the upcoming US election.
Thurgham al-Tamimi arrived at the protests from Karbala with his two children, his wife and his father. "We came here to answer the call of the nation," he told CNN. "Our country is exposed to foreign interference from East and West," an apparent reference to both Iran, which has growing influence in the country, and the United States.
"We don't want any country to decide the fate of Iraq. We want to see Iraq with full sovereignty," he added.
Tamimi wore a white shroud over his shoulders. He said it symbolized his willingness to make a "sacrifice" for the sake of the country.
Some protesters said they also wished to shake off Iran's political influence in the country. "We don't want Iran in Iraq either. We respect them as a neighbor but they should not have a say in Iraq and no one should interfere in our internal affairs," said Um Ahmed, who declined to disclose her full name.
"No to America, and no to Iran. Iraq is for Iraqis," she added.
Iraqis whom CNN spoke to in recent weeks criticized Trump's targeted killing of Soleimani, and said they feared becoming caught in the middle of a war between the US and Iran. Many across Iraq's political divide have called on their government to avoid turning the country into a "battleground state."
Iran responded to the US targeted killing by firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US positions in Iraq, leading some US troops to be treated for concussions. At al-Asad base, which bore the bulk of the attack, US troops received advance warning, and most had already taken cover in bunkers when the missiles struck.
Iraq has also been mired in an internal political crisis, with thousands of anti-government protesters taking to the streets. The demonstrators have protested against corruption perceived as widespread, and object to Iran's growing influence in the country.
Source: CNN
