Firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who led an uprising against US forces, condemned militants who have beheaded foreigners in Iraq over the last several months.

The militant Shiite cleric whose uprising in April left hundreds dead pledged to resist “oppression and occupation” and called the new interim Iraqi government “illegitimate”.

Allied troops fought bloody battles against an enemy they did not expect in Iraq today – Shi'ites who were downtrodden during Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime.