BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied in central Baghdad on Friday calling for the expulsion of United States troops, but the protest mostly dissipated after a few hours despite a cleric’s call for a “million strong” turnout.

Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr convened the march after the US killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad this month. Throngs started gathering early on Friday at al-Hurriya Square near Baghdad’s main university.