Iraq cleric Sadr says militia will defend itself

By Khaled Farhan

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Sunday his feared Mehdi Army would defend itself against attack by the U.S. military or secular opponents, despite extending a ceasefire.

He appeared to be reacting to complaints by members of the militia that rival Shi'ite factions and the U.S. and Iraqi security forces could exploit the ceasefire to attack them.

The normally reclusive Sadr released his second statement in three days responding to a list of questions from followers, including whether his focus was now becoming more political and cultural since the ceasefire was extended.

"If a military war is conducted against us by the occupiers we will defend ourselves," Sadr said in the four-page statement bearing his personal seal.

"Self-defence against the occupiers is beyond discussion."

In February, Sadr extended a ceasefire first ordered last August for another six months, winning praise from Baghdad and Washington, who said it would help to cement security gains.

The ceasefire is seen as a key factor behind falling levels of violence across Iraq, along with the deployment of an extra 30,000 U.S. troops and the growing use of mainly Sunni Arab neighbourhood security units.

But many of his tens of thousands of followers among young and poor Iraqis in Baghdad and the mainly Shi'ite south have questioned the truce.