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Length: 6:55
WOLF BLITZER: And more on
our breaking news that we're following. Muqtada al-
Sadr, the top anti-American radical Shiite cleric in
Iraq heads to Iran. There are enormous security and
political implications. We're going to go to Baghdad
and speak with our Michael Ware and get the latest.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're following breaking news here in
Washington. Two sources confirming to CNN's Suzanne
Malveaux over at the White House that Muqtada
al-Sadr, the radical anti-American Shiite leader in
Iraq, the leader of the Mahdi Army has fled to Iran,
circumstances unknown. The sources telling our
Suzanne Malveaux and other news organizations here in
the United States that he fled some two to three
weeks ago. Let's go to Baghdad. Michael Ware is
joining us, our correspondent on the scene.
Michael, give us your sense of what potentially this
means. These U.S. sources suggesting Muqtada al-Sadr
has fled to neighboring Iran.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's 3
a.m. here in Iraq as this news is breaking. Clearly,
it's very difficult to contact anybody. And frankly,
what people in Washington are saying often bears
little relation to what's really going on here on the
ground.
So right now, it's only speculation that Muqtada has
left. Has he left? If he did, did he flee, if so, for
what reason? We have no idea right now, Wolf. Indeed,
we were speaking to Muqtada's office in Najaf just a
few days ago. They were certainly saying he was still
in Iraq, in Najaf.
We have sources close to his party who this evening
were saying that they had heard this rumor a couple
of days ago. They spoke to Muqtada's people. They
were told also that he was here in Iraq, in Najaf.
Now you would expect them to tell you this if he's
fled, but you would also expect them to tell you this
if he's here.
Either way, at the end of the day, what's it really
mean? Is he running in flight for fear of the Baghdad
security plan? I think that's most unlikely. I don't
think Muqtada himself, his personal safety or freedom
is really threatened politically or militarily by the
Baghdad security plan. Indeed, if he does go to Iraq,
does it weaken his power base?
I suspect not. I think it will put stress on it, but
Osama bin Laden is in hiding and al Qaeda is still
thriving. We see abu Hamza, the leader of al Qaeda in
Iraq on the run constantly. His organization doesn't
skip a beat. I suspect that if Muqtada has gone to
Iran for whatever reason, for whatever period, we'll
not see the end of the Mahdi militia or the Sadr
political movement.
BLITZER: In other words, potentially he may have just
made a visit, a business visit to Iran along the
lines of other Iraqi leaders, Muqtada al-Sadr, the
president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, all of them have
at one point or another gone to Teheran for a visit,
and it's potentially possible he may have just gone
over to check in with Iranian leaders.
WARE: He's done that several times in the past, as I
understand. Indeed, he was preparing for a visit to
Damascus, due this week or next week. He's traveled
the region just at the end of last year, on the
stump, rallying support and reassuring Arab Sunni
leaders. I mean this is a man who from time to time
travels.
He coordinates with other leaders, and he coordinates
with his various sponsors, including those who are in
Iran. So is he here, is he not? Has he fled, has he
gone of his own volition for what purpose? Totally up
in the air. Let's go back and ask the White House and
these unnamed sources: come clean, give us the facts.
BLITZER: How important is Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq,
Michael?
WARE: Well, Muqtada's a vital element in many, many
ways. I mean he's not the most powerful force either
politically or militarily here, but he certainly is
someone who is in a position in the middle of such
relative strength that he found himself in the
driver's seat as kingmaker, able to propel an
otherwise compromise candidate for prime minister
into the, you know, one of the top jobs in the
country, as the chief executive.
He's also got a militia that on the streets, on its
own turf, has certainly given the U.S. military as
good almost as it's received. Indeed, Sadr City, home
to half the population, blindly loyal to this man,
Muqtada al-Sadr, remains a place where U.S. forces
can only go in guns blazing and tear out the same
way. So this is a formidable individual.
He has political forces and militia factions
throughout southern Iraq. Now, the Iranians have been
putting pressure on him. He hasn't been playing ball
with the Americans, and he hasn't entirely played
ball with the Iranians. They have been chipping away
at his power base, so yeah, he's in a slightly
weakened position right now. But right -- honestly,
Wolf, everything is on the table in this country in
every direction that you look, including Muqtada.
BLITZER: Michael, you were at that briefing over the
weekend when military sources -- U.S. military
sources in Baghdad suggested that the highest levels
of the Iranian government were behind the
introduction of these sophisticated munitions that
were going into Iraq over the past couple of years,
killed about 170 or so American troops.
And now we're hearing from the top U.S. military
officer, General Peter Pace, saying he's not
convinced that the highest levels of the Iranian
government are behind it. He's not sure who is behind
it. Are you surprised by this latest twist in this
story?
WARE: Well, honestly, I'm not surprised by anything
that comes out of the U.S. military these days, Wolf.
I mean, you know, even when they have a song sheet,
often it's -- they're not all on it. I mean, let's
look at the most recent helicopter crash. They're out
there telling us it was a mechanical failure. The
next minute, it was shot down. I mean, there are so
many contradictions in the U.S. message. I mean,
that's one of its great failings, so no, I'm not
surprised. There's a lot of disconnects here.
BLITZER: Michael Ware on the scene for us in Baghdad.
Stand by, Michael. We're going to continue to follow
this story.