Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Shi'ite militia led bloody uprisings against American forces in Iraq, made a

triumphant return from more than three years of self-imposed exile in Iran to assume a central (if

unofficial) role in the newly formed Shi'ite-led Iraqi government. The return of the radical cleric, who was

greeted by rapturous crowds, is a sign of Tehran's influence in Baghdad and further evidence that Iraq

may insist on U.S. troops' departure from the country by the end of 2011. Sadr vehemently opposes the

continued American military presence.