Sadr supporters stage mass Iraq rally

BAGHDAD, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Supporters of radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr staged a mass demonstration in Baghdad Saturday demanding the removal of U.S. troops, officials say.

Iraqi officials estimated 50,000 people lined the streets of the Sadr City slums and moved toward central Baghdad. They chanted slogans, including "Get out occupier," as the Iraqi government and the United States negotiated a "status of forces" agreement that would legitimize the presence of U.S. troops in the country, the BBC reported.

Sadr opposes the draft of the agreement, which would replace a United Nations mandate that provides the legal framework for U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq. Under the draft, which would have to be approved by the Iraqi parliament, U.S. troops would withdraw by 2011 and Iraq could prosecute Americans who commit crimes, the broadcaster said.

Sadr's parliamentary bloc expressed its disapproval of the deal Friday during a meeting of the Iraq Political Council for National Security.