BAGHDAD, Feb 15: Top members of Iraq's biggest Shia militia, the Mahdi Army, have been ordered by their own leadership to leave Iraq, President Jalal Talabani said on Thursday, according to his office.

Mr Talabani said Mahdi Army's leader Moqtada al-Sadr wanted to see a new Baghdad security plan succeed and had given the go ahead for security forces to arrest any militia leaders who resist it.

“I think that many senior officials of the Jaish al-Mahdi have received an order to leave Iraq to facilitate the mission of the Iraqi security forces to carry out their plan,” Mr Talabani said, according to a statement.

“Moqtada al-Sadr is keen to stabilise the situation and see the security plan succeed in Iraq and he gave the green light to the government to arrest anyone breaking the law, and this is a positive attitude.”

The Iraqi leader was speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, one day after the formal launch of an operation to drive sectarian militias out of Baghdad, amid reports that Moqtada al-Sadr has left Iraq for Iran.

“I have no information about the whereabouts of Moqtada al-Sadr,” Mr Talabani said, according to the statement from his office.—AFP