He's back: Fears of sectarian violence in Iraq as radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns from exile .

He's back: Fears of sectarian violence in Iraq as radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns from exile with eyes firmly fixed on grabbing political power.Hundreds of supporters mobbed the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as he returned home to Iraq after nearly four years in self-imposed exile in Iran.The sight of the firebrand, once dubbed the 'single biggest threat to the U.S. in Iraq', will be a depressing one for American troops and politicians.He left Iraq in 2007 an unpredictable leader of a street-fighting organisation with huge popular support but returns a legitimate political figure likely to play a key part in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's new government.A swarm of al-Sadr's bodyguards - dressed in black clothes and flak jackets and toting automatic rifles - deployed around his house in the al-Hanana neighborhood in central Najaf where followers were waiting to meet him.One of the youngest among those gathered outside al-Sadr's house was nine-year-old Mohammed Sadiq, who was accompanied by his uncle. 'I'd like to kiss his hands and tell him: I miss you and don't leave us again,' said Sadiq.Supporters hung banners on nearby buildings, one of which read: 'Yes, Yes to our leader. Here we are at your service our Master Muqtada.' Another banner said: 'We renew our allegiance to our leader Muqtada al-Sadr.'The cleric was believed to be meeting with Iraq's most revered Shiite figure, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, today.Al-Sadr's implementation of Sharia Law is also strict. In 2006 he banned the use of shorts and even executed the coach and two members of the national tennis team.He has tried to ban football, claiming sport is a Zionist plot to distract Arabs from religion, and two weeks ago banned Iraqis working with foreign companies.His fervour is likely to have been increased by his last few years studying Islam in Qom, Iran, the seat of Shiite education. The sojourn was a way for the 37-year-old cleric to burnish his theological credentials, but he also faced an arrest warrant for his alleged role in assassinating a rival Shiite cleric.Al-Sadr visited the holy shrine of Imam Ali, revered among the country's Shiite majority, wearing a black turban distinguishing him as one of the descendants of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.Hmmmm.....Obama "If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!" Yeah that's clear by now.Read the full story here.