Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki himself initiated a crackdown on the militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in which hundreds were arrested, a top US official has suggested. US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said Wednesday political and diplomatic moves by Maliki had failed to achieve results so he resorted to force against militiamen of Sadr, a key ally in his embattled government. Full Story