By IRNA
Baghdad : Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday warned Moqtada al-Sadr, a prominent Shia cleric, to disband his militia or face being excluded from future Iraqi elections.
The ultimatum from the prime minister was the first to single out Sadr’s Mahdi army since a truce was agreed a week ago, and suggests a deepening divide within the country’s Shia community.
“Solving the problem comes in no other way than dissolving the Mahdi army,” Maliki said.
“They no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mahdi army.”
Baha al-Aaraji, a senior Sadrist lawmaker, rejected the ultimatum.
“The government cannot decide what will happen to the Mahdi army.
We are a legitimate force that is resisting the occupation of our country by foreign forces,” he said.