Thousands answer cleric’s call to defend Iraq from militants

By Kathianne Boniello

July 13, 2014 | 5:59am

Antichrist’s Men (Revelation 13:16)

Shiites volunteers, loyal to Muslim Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, return home following a military advance in areas under the control of Islamic State. Photo: Getty Images

More than 4,000 volunteers answered the call of a top Shiite cleric in Iraq to step up and help defend the country from Sunni militants.

The volunteers, mostly young men, were taken by helicopter from Baghdad to Ramadi, the capital of the predominantly Sunni province of Anbar, in a two-day operation that ended Saturday.

The militants on Saturday battled with Shiite militiamen for control of a military base 60 miles north of Baghdad.