NBC News — Followers of shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr marched through the Iraqi city of Basra wednesday to protest the U.S. and Israel. People chanted "death to America, death to Israel" and carried signs demanding Vice President Joe Biden be told to leave Iraq.

Biden arrived in Baghdad tuesday to mark the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country by the end of this year. The U.S. troop withdrawal opens a new phase in U.S.-Iraq relations including a robust security partnership. A White House official said Biden will address U.S. forces in a ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices and accomplishments of U.S. and Iraqi troops.