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September 8, 2008 9:15:35 AM CDT

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Sadr Group Leaves Iraq's Ruling Alliance

Posted Sep 15, 07 3:05 PM CDT in US,  Politics,  World 

(Newser) – A key faction pulled out of Iraq’s ruling Shia alliance today, leaving Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with only half of parliament’s seats. Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he withdrew because his bloc’s demands were being ignored. He wants a timetable for US troop withdrawal and opposes former members of Saddam Hussein's regime being in the new administration.

Some analysts say that Sadr pulled out in order to rein in his fragmented army. The BBC reports that the move may also destabilize Maliki, although other factions could keep him in control for now. But Sadr isn't Maliki's only political problem du jour: the White House blamed his government yesterday for not enacting laws to reunite Sunni and Shia Arabs.

Source BBC

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Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, left, steps from an office building in Najaf, Iraq Saturday June 5, 2004. Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia leader is turning to his commanders who distinguished themselves...   (Associated Press)
A young boy drinks a glass of milk next to a poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and a radical anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr emerge from their meeting in Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, in this October 2006 file photograph....   (Associated Press)
Radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr speaks at a news conference in Najaf, 165 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, in this file photo from Oct. 14, 2003. Al- Sadr called for peaceful demonstrations...   (Associated Press)
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Iraq  • Nouri al-Maliki  • Muqtada al-Sadr  • Shiite  • Sunni  • Iraq government


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