Firebrand cleric Muqtada Sadr`s alliance holds a surprise lead in Iraq elections
(LA Times Dodgers)

An alliance led by Muqtada Sadr, the anti-U.S. firebrand cleric-turned-reformist, was leading Iraq´s parliamentary elections in preliminary results announced early Monday. A victory for Sadr would be a major upset for Prime Minister Haider Abadi, who led the country during its four-year battle...