Baghdad ( CNN ) -- Tens of thousands of followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr marked the ninth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on Monday by demanding improvements in public services in the war-torn country . Some of the protesters carried coffins marked `` electricity , '' `` water '' and `` education '' through the streets of the southern oil city of Basra . Others carried cables and water containers to express their frustration with the lack of basic utilities . Iraqi security officials estimated the crowd at 100,000 to 120,000 people , many of whom carried Iraqi flags , banners and pictures of al-Sadr -- the Shiite Muslim leader whose former militia once fought numerous pitched battles with U.S. troops . With the American military now out of Iraq , the banners challenged Iraq 's new political leaders , asking `` Where are your promises ? '' In a statement read by one of his allies , the cleric urged his followers to take their complaints to the ballot box . `` If the government fails to listen to your demands , then you will decide what is best for you , '' he said . About 30 % of Iraq 's population lacks access to clean drinking water , though the figure is up sharply from 2008 , according to the Brookings Institution 's Iraq index . Electricity generation surpassed prewar levels in mid-2007 but averaged about 56 % of demand in 2011 , Brookings estimates . Iraq seeks new oil routes amid Iran tensions . Al-Sadr , who rarely makes public appearances , also called on his supporters to remain firm in their opposition to the United States and Israel . `` If we unite our voices , then we will be able to defeat America , Israel and other enemies , '' Sheikh Assad al-Nassri told the crowd on al-Sadr 's behalf . A U.S.-led army invaded Iraq on March 20 , 2003 , toppling longtime dictator Saddam Hussein . But years of bloodshed followed the invasion as an insurgency led by Hussein 's allies took root , followed by sectarian warfare between Iraq 's Shiite majority and Sunni minority . Al-Sadr 's militia , the Mehdi Army , was blamed for some of the worst violence . He formally disbanded the group in 2008 , announcing that it was transitioning into a movement to oppose secularism and Western thought . Meanwhile , his political movement has become a kingmaker in Iraqi politics : Its 39 members of Iraq 's parliament were key to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki 's winning a second term . His supporters usually demonstrate in Baghdad to mark the anniversary . But they held this year 's rally in Basra because of tightened security in the capital as it prepares to host an Arab summit , security officials told CNN . The United States argued Hussein 's regime had been harboring forbidden stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons , long-range missiles and a nuclear weapons program . But inspectors later found that Baghdad had attempted to conceal some weapons-related research from the international community , but that Iraq had been effectively disarmed under U.N. sanctions in the 1990s . The invasion swiftly toppled Hussein , who was later executed for the massacre of Shiite villagers following an assassination attempt in the 1980s . But nearly 4,500 Americans and 300-plus allied troops were killed before the last American troops left in December , while estimates of the Iraqi toll run well above 100,000 .
Sadrists demand better conditions as they mark ninth anniversary of war . They carry signs marked ` ` electricity '' and ` ` . '' The cleric urges Muslims to be united in opposing the United States and Israel .