Thousands of supporters of populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered in Baghdad on Friday for a rally to demand the ouster of US troops, putting the protest-hit capital on edge. The march rattled the separate, months-old protest movement that has gripped the capital and Shiite-majority south since October, demanding a government overhaul, early elections and more accountability.

Thousands of men, women and children massed under grey skies in the Jadiriyah district of east Baghdad, chanting "Get out, get out, occupier!".