Sadr Warns of ‘Open War’

Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a strong warning to the Iraqi government Saturday, claiming that he and his supporters will “declare a war until liberation” if a crackdown against his Mahdi Army continues.

Al-Jazeera English:

Al-Sadr also accused the Iraqi government of being too close to the US military.

“The occupation has made us target of its planes, tanks, air strikes and snipers. Without our support this government would not have been formed,” he said.

“But with its alliance with the occupier [the Iraqi government] is not independent and sovereign as we would like it to be.”

Iraqi security forces moved against Shia militia groups in Basra on March 25, on the order of Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, himself a Shia.

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AP photo/ Karim Kadim

Sadr’s supporters rally in Sadr City on March 29, demanding Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s resignation for cracking down on the Muslim cleric and his allies.