BAGHDAD (AP) - Thousands of loyalists of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr crammed the streets of Sadr City slum - a tapestry of angry men shouting anti-American slogans. The sentiments were not surprising.

But the timing was a puzzle. After two weeks of turning their cheeks to the presence of unwanted American soldiers and invasive searches, al-Sadr called out his followers in a peaceful show of defiance to the monthold Baghdad security plan.

Estimates put the crowd at about 10,000. They poured out of a mosque after a preacher in the Shiite slum read out a statement in which al-Sadr called on his followers to "shout, ‘No, no America.’ "

Al-Sadr’s message on the Muslim day of prayer and rest could signal a shift in his willingness to absorb the perceived indignity of the U.S. troop presence and wait out the security plan. Or it could have been nothing more than a reminder to his followers that he was watching carefully and was still their leader.

Speaking to the crowd, prominent al-Sadr backer Sheikh Muhannad al-Bahadli condemned what he called the "oppressive occupiers on the land of Sadr City."

American military leaders had credited al-Sadr - who was said to have ordered his Mahdi Army militia to put away its weapons and not confront U.S. and Iraqi troops - for the relatively effortless start of security patrols and raids in the volatile slum, a no-go zone for U.S. forces until about two weeks ago.

"The occupiers want to harm this beloved" Sadr City "and tarnish its name by spreading false rumors and allegations that negotiations and cooperation are ongoing between you and them," the statement said. "I am confident that you will not make concessions to them and will remain above them. Raise your voices in love and brotherhood and unity against your enemy and shout, ‘No, no America.’ "

Al-Sadr’s office in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, confirmed the statement was genuine. American military officials said the fiercely anti-American cleric remains in Iran, where he was said to have fled in the days preceding the security operation.

The American military reacted cautiously to the al-Sadr statement.

"We have often seen differing political views or differing statements coming out of many of the political organizations here in Iraq, not just the Sadr bloc or al-Sadr’s organization," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said. "As we’ve said, we are, if anything, cautiously optimistic, but it’s still very early."

The reference in the al-Sadr statement to "negotiations" might have been penned as a reminder to followers not to go too far in cooperating the Americans.

The British Ministry of Defense said officials at the Shaibah logistics base in Basra noticed the 10, who were being held as a security threat, were missing on Thursday.

Also yesterday, Britain reported that 10 inmates at a detention facility in Basra escaped this week after swapping clothes then places with visitors who came to see them.

Nine of the 10 people who switched places with the detainees remained in custody in Basra, but no further details have been released. Another detainee escaped in a separate incident Wednesday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, said he was going to miss his self-imposed deadline for reshuffling the Cabinet, despite political breathing room provided by a sharp decline in violence during the first month of the security crackdown.

Al-Maliki has repeatedly vowed - under what was thought to be U.S. pressure - to shake up his Shiite Muslim-dominated government.

But after each declaration that he was going to oust recalcitrant ministers, al-Maliki has failed to muster sufficient political backing to make the dramatic move.

Al-Maliki reissued the promise to realign the government in an interview with The Associated Press nearly two weeks ago, saying he planned to act no later than Thursday.

"In fact, the Cabinet reshuffle remains under study. There are names on the table and consultations are continuing. But when we talk about change, we want to look for the best who will provide the best required service in this or that ministry," al-Maliki said.

Also yesterday, the U.S. military said a soldier was killed by an explosion during fighting in Salahuddin, a mainly Sunni province. A Marine died in a non-combat incident in Anbar Province. Both service members died Thursday.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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