Iraqis Celebrate U.S. Withdrawal

Thousands of followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held a rally in Baghdad on Thursday to celebrate the December withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Al-Sadr’s supporters waved Iraqi flags, raised banners praising those who fought against American troops in Iraq, and trampled over American and British flags.

Al-Sadr addressed his supporters by video link from Iran, where he is completing his religious studies. In his speech, al-Sadr urged the Iraqi government to release all the Sadrist detainees kept in Iraqi prisons.

Two of the overarching trends the Trumpet watches for and reports on are the decline of the United States, and the rise of Iran-led radical Islamism. Thursday’s Shiite celebrations in Iraq are evidence of both trends gaining momentum. It is increasingly clear that, back in 2003, the U.S. handed Iran an astonishing gift. In deposing Saddam Hussein, America eliminated the primary obstacle impeding Iran’s rise to regional dominance.