Sadr faction leaves Shiite alliance

BAGHDAD, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Shiite faction loyal to Moqtada Sadr announced plans Saturday to drop out of a Shiite coalition in the Iraqi Parliament.

While Sadr’s support was critical to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki when he formed his government last year, the loss of it may not hurt him much because of political change, The New York Times reported.

The Sadr group, while a member of the United Iraqi Alliance, has not been included in discussions with Kurdish groups about allowing some former Baathists to be employed by the government. Sadr opposes any compromise on de-Baathification.

“Since the UIA didn’t respond to the demands of the Sadrists, the political commission of the Sadrists decided to withdraw from the UIA,” said Salah al-Obeidi, a spokesman for the group. “We haven’t seen any serious discussions with us from the dominating powers in the alliance.”

The Sadr group holds 30 seats in Parliament. Without them, the UIA holds 83 of the 275 seats.