Washington: Defence Secretary Robert Gates said today he doubts that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army is battling US and Iraqi troops in Baghdad, would be subject to arrest by US forces.

Al-Sadr is believed to be in Iran while elements of his militia in the Sadr City section of the capital fight Iraqi government troops supported by the US military.

Gates was asked at a Pentagon news conference about the prospect of al-Sadr being arrested. He initially responded in broad terms about the US view of competing political actors in Iraq.

"I think those who are prepared to work within the political process in Iraq, and peacefully, are not enemies of the United States," Gates said.

When pressed about the prospect of arresting al-Sadr, he added, "I would be surprised along those lines: a move to arrest him. He is a significant political figure. We want him to work within the political process. He has a large following. It is important that he become a part of the process, if he is not already."

A senior aide to al-Sadr was assassinated today in the holy city of Najaf, officials said. Authorities immediately announced a citywide curfew and security forces were seen deploying on the streets. The killing threatened to raise tensions amid a violent standoff between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia and the US-backed Iraqi government.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Gates at the news conference, said he regards al-Sadr as "somewhat of an enigma."

Source : PTI