Thousands of Iraqis parade in Baghdad showing readiness to fight Sunni militants
21 June 2014, 16:10 -- Hundreds of thousands of Shiites paraded in Baghdad and several other Shiites cities in Iraq on Saturday, in a show of force to display their readiness to fight Sunni extremists who have taken control of key areas in northern and western Iraq.
Wearing military uniform and carrying rifles, the men marched in different cities in response to a call by influential Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, dpa reports.
He had called on his followers last week to organize the parade and show that they can protect holy sites and shrines across the country.
Thousands marched across Baghdad as they left the neighborhood of al-Sadr City.
The number of residents in Baghdad's largest Shiite-dominated neighborhoods, al-Sadr City and al-Shula, is estimated at 3 million.
The parades were guarded by police and army personnel.
The jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the northern city of Mosul in a blitz last week and then moved on to capture a string of towns stretching south towards Baghdad.
More than 2.5 million Shiites have reportedly volunteered across Iraq to take arms and help the army defeat the jihadist group, according to government statistics.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered a monthly income of 500,000 dinars (about 447 dollars) for each volunteer, in addition to 125,000 dinars in food allowance.
Al-Maliki's announcement came after several Shiites leaders called on their followers to volunteer to defend the country.
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