Many people draped in Iraqi flags set the Stars and Stripes ablaze and some stamped on US and Israeli flags painted on the ground with their shoes, a major insult in Arab culture.
But Sadr disappointed followers by not showing up, adding fuel to speculation he is not in Iraq, but perhaps in Iran as claimed by the US military.
The cleric went underground more than two months ago after the launch of the Baghdad security crackdown which targets his militiamen that are accused of spearheading the killings of Sunni Arabs.
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