Iraqi Cleric Sadr Announces Retirement


Iraqi Cleric Sadr Announces Retirement

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Prominent Iraqi political figure Muqtada al-Sadr announced a complete withdrawal from Iraqi politics.

In a letter posted on his website on Sunday, al-Sadr stated he would not hold any political office and that no bloc would represent him in the Iraqi parliament.

The letter also stated that Sadr would be closing all his offices.

Despite not holding any official position in the Iraqi government, Sadr holds significant influence in the Iraqi politics.

He was the creator of the Mehdi Army, a paramilitary group that was involved in the Iraq War and clashed with US forces on many occasions, Al Jazeera reported.

The Mehdi Army was disbanded under government pressure in 2008, following a clash with Iraqi Army forces controlled by Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki.

Sadr is also a head of a political party named after him, which forms part of the National Iraqi Alliance coalition in the Iraqi parliament.

Sadr has been a very vocal critic of the continued US presence in Iraq after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

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