Sadr raises pressure for US to withdraw
By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
The United States faced a fresh challenge to its presence in Iraq yesterday when supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr's radical Shia Muslim movement quit the Baghdad government to demand a deadline for withdrawal of its troops.
By pulling out of the ruling Shia Alliance coalition, Sadr has moved a step closer to outright confrontation with the American-led military effort to stabilise Iraq.
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The loss of Sadr's followers, including six cabinet ministers, does not deprive Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, of an overall majority but does reduce his scope for horse trading between competing factions.
Sadr triggered the crisis in a letter to supporters that demanded a timetable for withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq. It said: "I pray for God Almighty to bestow on the Iraqi people a government that is independent from occupation and one that works hard in the service of its people."
The movement holds one quarter of parliamentary seats in the Alliance which governs in coalition with Kurdish parties. The bloc's parliamentary representative, Nassar al-Rubaie, said the decision was taken after Mr Maliki rejected an ultimatum to confront the Americans.
Behind the scenes, the split has been on the cards for months. Mr Maliki issued a statement yesterday thanking Sadr for instructing his ministers to resign, so that competent "independents" could be appointed.
The White House welcomed the development, reinforcing its support for Mr Maliki as he launches a much postponed government reshuffle.
Sadrists were until yesterday in control of key ministries including health, transport and tourism.
There were widespread accusations that these ministries had become sectarian enforcement operations under the influence of their political leaders.
In parallel Sadr has sought to distance his movement from an unpopular government. Mr Rubaie said: "The prime minister has to express the will of the Iraqi people. They went out in a demonstration in their millions asking for a timetable for withdrawal. We noticed the prime minister's response did not express the will of the people,"
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Sadr has built a radical militia from impoverished Shia slums in Baghdad and southern Iraq. His militias control large swathes of the country, spearheading ethnic cleansing and attacking American troops.
Mr Maliki managed to persuade the Madhi army, the armed wing of Mr Sadr's movement, to reduce attacks on coalition forces but recently Sadr has resumed aggressive activities and his supporters have taken to the streets to challenge the authorities.
Officials in the southern city of Basra said Sadr was behind a 3,000-strong demonstration against the provincial governor yesterday. They accused Muhammad al-Waili of heading a corrupt administration.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied to support Sadr in the holy city of Najaf last week. Sadr himself did not appear - US officials say he is in hiding in Iran but his aides insist he is still in Iraq.
Born to resist
• Moqtada al-Sadr, 34, is the scion of a prominent Shia Muslim religious family, renowned for its role in resisting the rule of Saddam Hussein.
• At the fall of the regime, Sadr became a voice for disadvantaged youth. A swathe of Baghdad once known as Saddam City became Sadr City.
• Sadr's militia, Jaish al-Madhi, led a rebellion against American administrators running Iraq in 2004.
• US military sources claim that Iran has supplied Sadr's militia with arms and bomb-making technology.
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