Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered Thursday to publicly celebrate the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, The Associated Press reports.

The U.S. completed its military withdrawal in December 2011, but Sadrist lawmaker Jawad al-Shuhaili said the movement postponed celebrating it until the end of the Arbaeen, a 40-day period of mourning following the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure.

Related content:

• US finds democracy a tougher sell abroad
• Iraq seeks to clamp down on security contractors
• US to 'right-size' embassy in Iraq but denies it will halve diplomatic staff
• PhotoBlog series: Iraqi voices