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.

Explosions rocked a compound surrounding the mosque in Kufa, one of Iraq’s holy cities, today.

Witnesses say explosions are taking place in the Kufa mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites in Iraq.

Iraq’s new prime minister has made his first address to the nation, saying a rapid US withdrawal from the country would be a “major disaster” because Iraqis were not ready to handle their own security.