Moqtada al-Sadr made a surprise return to Iraq

KHOST Breaking News

KIRKUK, IRAQ - Anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made a surprise return to Iraq on Wednesday, ending nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Iran.

The cleric went to his family home in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, and then visited the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali, surrounded by dozens of supporters. His arrival led television news reports across the country.

A crowd has also gathered outside Sadr's home, according to the televised reports. And a spokesman for the cleric said Sadr would "address the country" Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Sadr's return comes just two weeks after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shiite, cobbled together a unity government to begin a second term. Support from a bloc of Sadr loyalists in Iraq's parliament pushed Maliki past the threshold needed to form his cabinet.

Sadr is believed to have fled Iraq in early 2007, during the American military's surge campaign, when an arrest warrant was issued for him. His loyalists and militia were among the most potent opponents of the U.S. military presence in the country.

Iran's foreign minister also visited Iraq on Wednesday, meeting with Maliki and more than a dozen other government officials in Baghdad, the capital. Foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi was the latest in a string of officials from neighboring Middle Eastern countries to visit the Iraq in recent weeks.

American diplomats have played down any increasing Iranian influence in Iraq as the United States winds down its military presence in the country.