US insists al-Sadr has left Iraq

The chief US military spokesman in Iraq today insisted that Muqtada al-Sadr has left the country and is believed to be in Iran, despite denials from the radical Shiite cleric’s supporters.

The statement by Major General William Caldwell came after a US official said al-Sadr had left the country some weeks ago and is believed to be in Tehran, where he has family.