Thousands sit-in in Iraq as US-Iran tension looms large

Thousands of supporters of an Iraqi populist Shiite cleric held sit-ins around Iraq on Friday saying their country should not be a battlefield between the United States and Iran.

Baghdad:With the palpable tension continuing between the US and Iran, thousands of supporters of an Iraqi populist Shiite cleric in neighbouring Iraq held a sit-in demanding not to use their nation as a battlefield.

Over 3,000 people joined the sit-in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square and shouted "no to war" and "yes to peace" slogans.

The move by an Iraqi populist group came days after a rocket slammed into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the US Embassy.

No injuries were reported and no group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last week, the White House has ordered it's non-emergency staff of US embassy to leave Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran.