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18:09 GMT, Tuesday, 25 March 2008

In pictures: Unrest in Iraq

An Iraqi police officer mans a checkpoint in Basra, Iraq (25/03/08)

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There has been heavy fighting in the southern port city of Basra, as Iraqi troops battle militias including the Mehdi Army, led by Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

Iraqi Sadrists rally in the Shia holy city of Najaf in central Iraq

Iraqi Sadrists rally in the Shia holy city of Najaf in central Iraq

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Elsewhere in the country - including here in Najaf - there have been protests by Sadr supporters, who say his militias are being unfairly targeted by authorities.

A Shia woman at a protest rally in Dora, Baghdad (25/03/08)

A Shia woman at a protest rally in Dora, Baghdad (25/03/08)

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One demand is that all detainees be released. This woman - at a protest in Dora, Baghdad - is displaying a picture of her detained son and her grandchildren, killed in a mortar attack.

Iraqi Sadrists protest against the arrests of their leaders in the holy city of Najaf in central Iraq (25/03/08)

Iraqi Sadrists protest against the arrests of their leaders in the holy city of Najaf in central Iraq (25/03/08)

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The Mehdi Army had been observing a ceasefire, which analysts say contributed to the recent decline of violence in Iraq. They now say the ceasefire is in danger of collapse.

A man locks his shop in an act of civil disobedience in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq (25/03/08)

A man locks his shop in an act of civil disobedience in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq (25/03/08)

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As part of the revolt, Moqtada Sadr ordered shops to close in strongholds in western Baghdad.

Followers of Moqtada Sadr stage a sit-in protest in the mainly Shia neighbourhood of Amil in Baghdad (25/03/08)

Followers of Moqtada Sadr stage a sit-in protest in the mainly Shia neighbourhood of Amil in Baghdad (25/03/08)

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Mosques urged people to join the protests.

An Iraqi Sadrist carries a sign reading "No, no occupation" in Arabic as he joins demonstrators in Najaf (25/03/08)

An Iraqi Sadrist carries a sign reading "No, no occupation" in Arabic as he joins demonstrators in Najaf (25/03/08)

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But the demonstrators' ire is not reserved for the Iraqi authorities alone. Anger at US forces in Iraq was expressed in Najaf...

A demonstration in Amil, Baghdad (25/03/08)

A demonstration in Amil, Baghdad (25/03/08)

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... and in Amil, Baghdad, where they held signs reading "No to America, yes to Iraq".

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Related to this story:
Iraq forces battle Basra militias (25 Mar 08 | Middle East )