ABC News reports that Moqtada al Sadr and several leaders of his Mahdi army fled to Tehran two to three weeks ago, fearing for his safety on the eve of the “surge.” The report is attributed to “senior military officials.” These reports are being denied by the Iraqi and Iranian governments and by Mahdi army officials, who claim he is laying low in Najaf. Reuters and AP have details.
Granting that Iraq is a big place and the border with Iran is 1458 kilometers, one would think our human intelligence in a country where we’ve had substantial numbers of troops over four years would be solid enough to keep track of our number one adversary.
Perhaps this is a psyop to goad him into showing his face?
