Mr. Maliki did not say how many, or which ministers in his 39-member Cabinet will be dismissed

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Sunday he plans to reshuffle his Cabinet within the next two weeks.

Mr. Maliki did not say how many, or which ministers in his 39-member Cabinet will be dismissed.

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U.S. officials have urged Mr. Maliki to cut ties to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and form a new political alliance of mainstream Shi'ites, moderate Sunnis and Kurds.

Six members of the current Cabinet are loyal to Sadr, whose Mahdi Army militia is blamed for many sectarian attacks against Sunnis.

Mr. Maliki told the Associated Press Saturday that he also will pursue criminal charges against politicians linked to militant groups.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.