BAGHDAD, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Influential Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr praised his followers on Monday for obeying his ceasefire order, but criticised the Shi'ite-led government for failing to demand a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Sadr, whose followers hold sway in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad and across parts of the south of the country, ordered his Mehdi Army militia to cease its activities in August, a surprise move that U.S. commanders said helped reduce bloodshed in Iraq.

"Turning to my brethren in the Mehdi Army, I thank them for their obedience to the halt," he said in a lengthy statement to his followers.

But he also strongly criticised the United States, describing President George W. Bush as the "master of evil", and rebuked the ruling Shi'ite parties for failing to call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"The parliament is Iraqi and the government is Iraqi, so where are your tongues? Raise your voice, my brothers ... to expel the occupation," he said.

Sadr has long embraced fiery anti-American rhetoric, but his political strategy has varied over the years, often unpredictably.

The Mehdi Army rose up against U.S.-led forces twice in 2004. In 2005, his movement joined the Shi'ite coalition that leads the U.S.-backed government, but it quit the cabinet earlier this year in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.

For much of this year, U.S. forces said they considered rogue Mehdi Army units to be their greatest threat, although attacks have subsided since the August ceasefire.

Sadr's followers have also fought with rival Shi'ite groups in the south. (Reporting by Peter Graff; Editing by Michael Winfrey)

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