Moqtada Al-Sadr left Iraq for Iran: report

It is not immediately clear why the Shia Muslim militia leader went to Iran or when he might return to Iraq.

Shia Muslim militia leader Moqtada Al-Sadr has left Iraq and is currently in Iran, the Cable News Network (CNN) reported, citing US officials in Washington.

HT Image

The son of a Shia cleric slain in 1999 under the former Iraqi regime, Al-Sadr crossed from Iraq into neighbouring Iran two to three weeks ago, the broadcaster said.

Al-Sadr leads the so-called Mahdi army, a Shia militia active in Baghdad and southern Iraq. The most militantly anti-US Shia leader, Al-Sadr is linked to a bloc in the new Iraqi parliament.

It was not immediately clear why he went to Iran or when he might return to Iraq.