Some of the protesters wore pink stickers that read "Make Out Not War" and others carried anti-war signs. One man sang and played guitar.

Protests were taking place throughout California's Bay Area to mark the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war.

In New York, hundreds of protesters held a demonstration in Union Square, saying that while they welcomed the change in American government, they would not relent in urging Obama to accelerate the withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq.

The protests were perhaps more muted than the massive demonstrations of years past, but no less fervent.

Debra Sweet, 57, one of the protest organizers, told the New York Times that the Obama administration has continued the policy of secret renditions of terrorism suspects.

Matthis Chiroux, a 25-year-old Army veteran expressed impatience with the president.

"Obama's policies just confirmed to me that the president may have changed, but the war is the same," he said.

Meanwhile, in Times Square in the late afternoon, about 25 antiwar protesters stood in front of the Armed Forces Career Center, carrying signs that read "Stop Occupation and Torture for Empire! The World Can't Wait!"

On March 21, dozens of anti-war groups plan to organize a mass protest in Washington D.C., and outside the Pentagon.

Organizers said they believe thousands will participate.

US anti-war demonstrators stage a protest in New York, the United States, March 19, 2009, marking the 6th anniversary of the start of Iraq war. [Xinhua]

On March 19, 2003, the Bush administration launched the Iraq war on the grounds that the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein produced weapons of mass destruction and plotted with terrorists.

Although both claims have been proven to be baseless, more than 4,250 US troops have lost their lives in Iraq since then and the price tag for the war will approach 800 billion US dollars by Sept. 2010.

Obama announced last month he will pull out all combat troops from Iraq in 18 months and all troops by the end of 2011.

With a clear timetable to withdraw US troops, a strategic shift to Afghanistan, and the overwhelming economic crisis to cope with, there seems to be much less attention to the war this year than ever.

However, even if it is less important for the moment, the war's traumatic effects on every facet of American life will be long-lasting, analysts said.