Thousands of Iraqi followers of Iran-backed paramilitary groups chanted anti-American slogans in central Baghdad on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander.

Thousands of Iraqi mourners chanted "revenge" and "no to America" one year after a US drone strike killed Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Pro-Iran demonstrators, many dressed in black, massed in the city's Tahrir Square to also condemn Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, labeling him a "coward" and an "agent of the Americans."

Protesters waved the flags of Iraq and the PMF — an array of militia groups known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces —  and carried portraits of Soleimani and Muhandis. Both men were widely revered as leading Shiite Muslim commanders in a region where politics is commonly seen through a sectarian prism.

The anniversary was also marked in recent days across Iran and by supporters in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.

Iran has held a series of commemorative events for Soleimani, who is celebrated as a "martyr." He has been immortalized in works of art, songs, and an upcoming TV series. Tehran has also unveiled a Soleimani autobiography — focusing largely on his childhood and early adulthood — and a postage stamp in his honor.

Fractured relations with US

The assassinations looked close to bringing Washington and Tehran to the brink of war in early 2020.

The rallies have been led by the powerful, state-sponsored pro-Iranian Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network, which Muhandis had commanded.

After the killings, the Iraqi parliament initially voted to expel US forces after popular protests demanded such a move. But despite some withdrawals, about 3,000 American troops remain in the country.

With tensions still high and even on the rise, Iraqis and observers in the region are watching for signs of escalation before US President Donald Trump, who ordered the killings, leaves the White House on January 20.

Trump recently tweeted that US intelligence had heard "chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq." He warned that "if one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over."

For the second time in a month, US B-52 bombers have flown across the region in recent days. However, in what some interpret as a sign of de-escalation, the US has also reportedly ordered an aircraft carrier to leave the Gulf.

rc/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)