Quite a few people are all a-twitter that the Shi’ite militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr has left Iraq and is now living in Iran:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — The powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr has left Iraq and has been living in Iran for the past several weeks, senior Bush administration officials said Tuesday.
With fresh American forces arriving in Baghdad as part of the White House plan to stabilize the capital, officials in Washington suggested that Mr. Sadr might have fled Iraq to avoid being captured or killed during the crackdown.
But officials also said that Mr. Sadr, who has family in Iran, had gone to Tehran in the past and that it was unclear why he had chosen to leave Iraq at this time. Mr. Sadr’s departure from Iraq was first reported Tuesday night by ABC News.
This isn’t new news: Qudspress (Arabic) reported that al-Sadr was preparing to decamp nearly a month ago (hat tip: Roads to Iraq).
It might be worth recalling at this time that there’s an arrest warrant for al-Sadr for the murder of Abdel Majid al-Khoei that has never been rescinded.
For some reason the Qudspress Road to Irag links above aren’t working. I
Try Roads to Iraq again, Gerard. For some reason or other Wordpress hiccups every now and again and throws a bad link.