After the fall of Saddam, Muqtada al-Sadr, a charismatic Iraqi cleric who comes from a powerful clerical dynasty, emerged as one of the country's most talked-about Shi'a leaders. Al-Sadr is the son of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad al-Sadr, who was killed in 1999 by agents presumed to be working for Saddam Hussein, thus becoming one of the major symbols of Shi'a resistance to the former regime. Al-Sadr -- who is believed to be around 30 years old, lives in the holy Shi'a city of Al-Najaf.

     Al-Sadr is one of the most vocal critics of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The leader of the Sadriyun Movement], he insists US troops should leave the country immediately and that Iraqis be given an opportunity to create an Islamic state if they choose.

   al-Sadr fled to Iran and is believed to be directing the Sunni terror campaign against the predominantly Shia Iraqi Government and Coalition forces through the Iranian government.

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