Sadr calls for an end to 'US occupation'

Shia cleric threatens to relaunch armed resistance unless the US withdrew from Iraq by year-end.

Moqtada al Sadr, a prominent Iraqi Shia cleric, has threatened to revive his Mehdi Army and relaunch armed resistance against continued US presence in the country.
The threat came as tens of thousands of people marched across the capital Baghdad, marking the eighth anniversary of former leader Saddam Hussein's fall on Saturday.
A spokesperson of al Sadr, said the US had until the end of the year to meet the cleric's demands.
Al Sadr,  returned to Iraq from a self-imposed exile following a strong showing by his bloc in the 2010 parliamentary election in January 2011.
Shortly after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he had spoken out against the Coalition Provisional Authority, led by Paul Bremer.
The Shia leader has continually criticised the US military presence in Iraq.
His appeal to the poor and dispossessed accounts for much of his popularity, but some Iraqis support him as symbol of resistance against US presence.
Sources-Al Jazeera