WASHINGTON, April 13: Thousands of anti-war protesters demonstrated in Washington this weekend, and urged the Bush administration to recall the United States troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

The organizers also pledged to launch a fresh campaign to bring back the troops, declaring that “occupation is not liberation”, as one banner read.

The demonstration’s sponsors — Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, or Answer — said at least 20,000 people attended Saturday’s rally. But the turnout was a far cry from the tens of thousands who attended anti-war rallies in January and March. Organizers said many people had not shown up because the Iraq war was already winding down.

But those who came said they now had a new cause: the return of US troops from Iraq. The anti-war movement has now “entered a new phase”, said Ms Sylvia Cross, a volunteer for International Answer. “You cannot occupy a country and also claim that you are a liberator,” she added, explaining why the protesters demanded the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

This time, the organizers also expanded their route to protest outside media offices and companies that they said were profiting from the war. But the White House and the Justice Department were still their main targets.

An Arab-American protester, Ms Mara Elahi, said those demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq were “the real well-wishers of America.”

She added: “The longer the US troops stay there, the worse it would be for Arab-American relations. There will be attacks on US troops. There will be protests all over the Arab world and today’s liberators will turn into tomorrow’s occupiers.”

Mr John Bloom, a New York student, said the Bush administration was already finding it difficult to justify the military offensive against Iraq. “So far no weapon of mass destruction has been used (against) our troops. We found no smoking gun. So people are right in asking why did we invade Iraq,” he said.

His friend Ms Sara, who only gave her first name, thought it would be even more difficult for the US to find an excuse to stay in Iraq. “We should withdraw before we are forced to leave,” she said.

Other protesters also condemned the US threats against Syria and Iran, saying that it would be totally unjustified if Washington took similar military action against those two countries. Rallies were also held in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other US cities in solidarity with a global day of protests in other countries — including Britain, Italy, Japan and South Korea.

In contrast, also on Saturday, some hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Congress to show their support for US troops fighting in Iraq.