(CNN) -- Radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr thanked followers who offered to launch attacks against the U.S. military in Iraq should he reinstate his notorious Mehdi Army militia, according to a posting on his website. The exchange between a follower and al-Sadr on his website comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is talking with members of his government about the possibility of requesting American troops to stay in Iraq beyond a year-end deadline to withdraw. Al-Sadr vowed earlier this year to "escalate armed resistance" if the U.S. military does not pull its troops as scheduled, a move that could destabilize the country should the Mehdi Army repeat the bloody battles it waged against American and Iraqi forces during the height of violence.
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NEW: U.S. military spokesman weighs in on cleric's comments
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Muqtada al-Sadr says "thank you dears" to followers
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Followers pledge to attack the U.S. should al-Sadr reinstate his private militia
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Al-Sadr has ratcheted up his anti-American rhetoric ahead of a U.S. withdrawal
His political bloc has now joined forces with a former rival, @placeholder.