Key al-Sadr aide released by U.S.

Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers

The U.S. military on Wednesday released a key aide to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a sure sign that U.S. officials are working hard to keep al-Sadr's support for the Baghdad security plan. Sheik Ahmed al-Sheybani, who'd been in American custody more than two years, was escorted to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office by U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, a sign of the importance attached to his release...

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