Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr returned to Najaf, Iraq in January after a three year stint in Iran.
Radical Shiite leader Muqtata al-Sadr warned US forces to leave Iraq in a recent statement on his website.
The AP reported, via Lucianne:
A powerful anti-American Shiite cleric called Tuesday on U.S. troops in Iraq to leave the country and go back to their families or risk more attacks.
Muqtada al-Sadr’s comments came in a rare statement translated into English and directed at U.S. troops in Iraq. The statement was posted on his website.
In it, the Shiite cleric appealed directly to the roughly 46,000 U.S. troops still in the country and said Iraq does not need their help.
“So, go forth from our holy land and go back to your families who are waiting for you impatiently,” al-Sadr said. The comment appeared to be a nod to the unpopularity of the Iraq war in the U.S. where many people are frustrated with the length of the war and the heavy burden it has put on American troops.
Iraqi officials are mulling whether to keep some U.S. troops past their December departure date. But they’re worried about a potential backlash if the U.S. military remains in the country.
Al-Sadr and his militia members have vowed to assault any American force that remains and have already been attacking American troops with rockets and bombs.
