Leading Iraqi Shiite cleric al-Sadr threatens attack on US forces

One of the leading Shiite clerics in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, said Wednesday that "the forces of the American army that are helping the army of Iraq liberate Mosul from ISIS are the target that we must hit". The head of the Saraya al-Salam militia made the comment in response to questions from followers on his Internet site. The statement came several days after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that 560 more troops are to be sent to Iraq. However, DEBKAfile's intelligence and military sources report that al-Sadr, who is supported by Tehran, made the threat because he wants two pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite militias, the Badr Corps and the Popular Mobilization Forces, to join the fighting against ISIS in Mosul. The militia head launched his war against the US during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.