Muqtada al-Sadr says US should compensate Iraqis as last American forces leave

Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has said the US should compensate Iraqis for the damage inflicted on the country, as the last American troops pull out of Iraq. In a statement on Wednesday, which is the deadline for American forces to end their 12-year presence in the country, Sadr hailed the "independence of Iraq" and praised those who fought against the US. "We demand compensation from the American army for all the damages that occurred as a result of its occupation of Iraqi lands," he said. "Everyone should file legal complaints regarding this." The US first occupied Iraq in 2003 following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, before pulling out its forces in 2011.