| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an investigation on Sunday into last weekÂ’s deadly clashes surrounding a Shiite religious celebration in Karbala, promising that it would be conducted without bias. The announcement came only hours after anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for the government to investigate the violence, which many have blamed on his own Mahdi Army militia. The firebrand clericÂ’s followers threatened to take unspecified measures if the government refused its demand, and criticized recent raids against the Mahdi Army by US and Iraqi forces. A statement from al-MalikiÂ’s office said an investigative committee was being formed to look into the Karbala bloodshed, which saw more than 50 people killed and hundreds injured. |