Big protest in Baghdad to demand U.S. leave Iraq 10 Apr 2011 A day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that U.S. troops could remain here for years, tens of thousands of protesters allied with Muqtada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric, flooded the streets demanding an end to the U.S. military presence. The protests were scheduled before Gates' comments - made Friday during a visit to troops in northern Iraq - although his statements may have fueled some of the day's fervor.