Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has heart trouble and is being treated by a team of specialists, one of his aides said on Thursday.
"He cancelled all his meetings for last week and a group of Iraqi cardiologists are looking after him," Hamed Khafaf told Reuters. He said it was the first time Sistani, 73, had experienced heart problems.
Sistani has wide influence over the country's majority Shias and has been a leading voice of moderation in post-war Iraq, which has been plagued by violence and instability since a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein last year.
News of his condition came as members of a militia led by radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr fought with US marines in the holy Shia city of Najaf, home to Sistani.
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