Iraq cleric urges militia to hand in weapons following defeat of Islamic State

An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric has urged his fighters to hand state-issued weapons back to the government, following Iraq’s declaration of victory against the Islamic State group.

An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric has urged his fighters to hand state-issued weapons back to the government, following Iraq’s declaration of victory against the Islamic State group.

In a speech broadcast on Iraqi television, Muqtada al-Sadr also called on his forces to hand over some territory to other branches of Iraq’s security forces, but said his men would continue to guard a holy Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad.