Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has said that Muqtada al-Sadr, the populist Shia leader, will be barred from taking part in the “political process” unless he disbands his Mahdi Army militia.

Al-Maliki on Monday said in an interview with the CNN network that he was determined to pursue militias across the country, including those in Sadr City - a stronghold of the Mahdi Army.

He said: “A decision was taken… that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mahdi Army.”

[Source]