U.S. Set to Confront Radical Iraq Cleric

WASHINGTON - U.S.-led authorities in Iraq are preparing to confront — and perhaps arrest — a militant Shiite Muslim cleric whose militia has battled both American troops and moderate Shiites in recent days, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The officials said they are growing increasingly worried that the cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, is a threat to the U.S.-led military coalition occupying Iraq. However, the Americans also want to avoid touching off rioting or other violence by moving against al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr's followers have engaged in deadly gunbattles with other Shiite groups and American troops in the past two weeks, most recently in the holy city of Karbala south of Baghdad on Tuesday.

U.S. officials believe al-Sadr's actions require a response, said a senior defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. What that response will be is something that will be determined over the next few days, the official said.

The official suggested other Shiite groups or Iraqi security forces also could deal with al-Sadr on their own.

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