Thousands of Iraqi Shias participated in the demonstration

Tens of thousands of people waving Iraqi flags staged a peaceful rally in the southern city of Najaf on Monday to demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces, four years to the day since Baghdad fell to invading American troops.

The streets of the Iraqi capital itself were largely empty after authorities clamped a 24-hour ban on vehicles to prevent any terrorism attacks, especially car bombings, Reuters news agency reported.

The anniversary comes as Iraq's Shi'ite-led government is trying to avert full-scale civil war between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunnis who were dominant under Saddam Hussein. U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched a major crackdown in Baghdad, epicenter of the violence.

The protesters in Najaf were responding to a call by powerful anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who blames the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 for the country's woes and wants a timetable set for a U.S. troop withdrawal. 

Waving dozens of red, white and back Iraqi flags, marchers choked the seven km-long road between Najaf and neighboring Kufa and clogged the streets leading to Sadrayn Square, the main rallying point in Najaf. Many had come by bus and car from Baghdad and Shi'ite towns and cities in the south.

Sadr was not at the rally. He has been keeping a low profile since the Baghdad crackdown. The U.S. military says he is in neighboring Iran, but his aides insist he is still in Iraq. Washington accuses his Mehdi Army militia of fuelling sectarian violence and says it is now the biggest threat to peace in Iraq, a charge he denies.

U.S. President George W. Bush has insisted U.S. troops will not leave until Iraqis can take over security and has repeatedly rejected setting a timetable for withdrawal.

While Iraq has a new U.S.-trained army, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government is still heavily dependent on American firepower and logistical support to combat the Sunni insurgency. In November, the U.N. Security Council renewed the mandate of the U.S.-led forces in Iraq until the end of 2007.

Sadr, popular among Iraq's Shi'ite poor, led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004 but has since become a major political player. His movement holds a quarter of the seats in the ruling Shi'ite Alliance.

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