Iraqi leader rips U.S. on Sadr raid
October 26, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi forces raided the stronghold of a Shiite militia led by an anti-American cleric in an operation disavowed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki, who relies on political support from the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, said the strike ''will not be repeated.''
A defiant al-Maliki also slammed the top U.S. representatives in Iraq for saying his government needed to set a timetable to curb violence. ''I affirm that this government represents the will of the people, and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it,'' al-Maliki said.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday that al-Maliki had agreed to a timetable. AP