(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has announced he is retiring from political life, in a handwritten note posted on his website.
The statement said he would not hold future government positions or have any representatives in parliament.
Mr Sadr and his group, the Mehdi Army, gained prominence after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Mr Sadr's statement said he was shutting down all his offices except for some charities.
Born into a religious Shia family, the cleric galvanised anti-US sentiment in sermons and public interviews after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein eleven years ago.
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The statement said he would not hold future government positions or have any representatives in parliament.
Mr Sadr and his group, the Mehdi Army, gained prominence after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Mr Sadr's statement said he was shutting down all his offices except for some charities.
Born into a religious Shia family, the cleric galvanised anti-US sentiment in sermons and public interviews after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein eleven years ago.
/129