In Baghdad, hundreds of residents rallied Monday against plans for a 12-foot-high concrete wall to divide Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods. The U.S. is walling off at least 10 neighborhoods despite opposition from Iraqi leaders. A Baghdad resident accused the U.S. of fueling sectarian tensions.

Baghdad resident: “There is no need for this wall. There is no benefit from what has been done. They are seeking to create sectarian strife between the two sects. There is no difference between the Sunnis and Shiites. We are all Iraqis, and we are all Muslims.”

The protests came as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he had ordered a stop to the wall’s construction. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker defended the plans and said they were led by the Iraqi government.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker: “I think the Baghdad security plan, led by Iraq and supported by the coalition, can buy time. But what it does is buy time for what ultimately has to be a set of political understandings among Iraqis. So I think these months ahead are going to be critical, as this plan continues forward to increase security and gain the time, but most especially as Iraqis then try to use that time to grapple with some of these difficult issues.”