Baghdad - British forces Saturday arrested a leading figure from the Sadr movement led by the Shiite cleric and militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr in the southern Iraqi Basra city, independent Voices of Iraq news agency said, citing witnesses. "British forces this morning arrested Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji at Basra airport while he was on his way to travel from Iraq," one source was quoted as saying. Another witness said that the arrest occurred in the departure hall of the airport.
Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji is a leading figure from the Sadr movement. He was deputed by al-Sadr to be the Friday sermon imam in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah.
Earlier Friday, Iraqi security forces raided the houses of 10 Sadrist officials in Hindiyah near Karbala city, arresting members of their families, Voices of Iraq news agency reported, citing a source at al-Sadr's office.
The source did not give the names of the officials whose families were arrested Friday night, the reason for the arrests, or whether the officials were present when the forces raided their houses.
Hindiyah district is 20 kilometres east of Karbala, which is 108 kilometres south-west of Baghdad.
The political movement of US critic al-Sadr has been having disagreements with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government owing to al-Maliki's refusal to define a timetable for a US pull-out.
The Sadr movement occupies 30 seats in the 275-seat Iraqi parliament under the umbrella of the so-called Mahdi Army, the largest armed militia in Iraq.
