Sadr “on short visit to Iran”: aide to Iraqi PM

[sabra]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=focusoniraq&xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/February/focusoniraq_February118.xml

Sadr “on short visit to Iran”: aide to Iraqi PM
(AFP)

BAGHDAD - Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr is in Iran but will be back in Iraq soon, an aide to Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki said Thursday, confirming a disputed claim by the US military.

“According to my information he is in Iran on a short visit,” said Sami Al Askari, a member of parliament and a political adviser to Maliki. “He has visited Iran many times. It is normal.”

Sadr’s supporters had denied a statement by the US military in Iraq that the hardline Shia leader has been in Tehran since some time last month.

Askari expressed surprise that Sadr’s movement, a key plank of Maliki’s ruling coalition, would have denied the report and warned them that they were playing into the hands of the US military’s ”unjustifiable provocation”.

The official said Sadr has “an official invitation” to visit Iran.

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. Is that before or after they close the borders? hmmmm.....

Bluster Boy's Situation Room is going to have to cover Anna Nicole today.

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Ah, NOW the 72-hour border closing makes sense! nt

[Kagemusha]

3. The borders are currently closed so he must've gone before that

and they locked the doors after the horse was out of the barn.

Lot of good this is doing.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Reports were he left 2-3 weeks ago; but then reports were also

that he was in Iraq. :shrug:

[saigon68]

7. Where's Osama ?

[MidwestTransplant]

5. This was a last ditch leak of false info to keep the GOP from defecting with the idea that the Surge

was already working.

[Eugene]

6. Reuters: Sadr tells some militiamen to leave Iraq-Talabani

Sadr tells some militiamen to leave Iraq-Talabani
15 Feb 2007 18:42:42 GMT
Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Iraq's president said on Thursday he believed radical
Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had asked some members of his Mehdi Army militia
to leave Iraq to ensure the success of a U.S.-backed security crackdown in
Baghdad.

"I think that many of the Mehdi Army active members were asked to leave Iraq.
I think Moqtada al-Sadr asked them to leave to make the ... Baghdad security plan
easier," Jalal Talabani told a news conference, without explaining what he meant
by active members.

Talabani added he was unaware of Sadr's whereabouts. The U.S. military has said
the anti-American cleric was in Iran, but his aides have insisted he was in Iraq.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/YAT565088.htm

[LonelyLRLiberal]

8. Okay, this just shows once again that Maliki and Sadr are joined at the hip.

We just need to get the hell out of there, and Bush need to quit pretending that the "government" in Iraq is an ally.