Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki orders the release of a Shiite cleric who had been detained by U.S. forces on suspicion of running death squads, creating fresh tension between the U.S. military and the Iraqi government.
The Baghdad-area cleric is an aide to Muqtada al-Sadr, a key ally of Maliki. U.S. officials have long alleged that Sadr's militia, known as the Mahdi Army, is the biggest culprit in Iraq's burgeoning sectarian conflict.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
