Shouting "Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great)," a large gathering of Muslims prayed for Iraqi victims of the war outside the historical Beyazit mosque in Istanbul.

Some wore masks depicting US President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as devils.

Similar protests were held in the central city of Konya and the eastern towns of Van and Elazig, where police intervened to disperse the crowds.

In Kayseri, in central Turkey, police detained a former mufti who led a prayer condemning the United States, Britain and Israel, Anatolia reported.

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