Free Republic

KUT, Iraq (AP) -- A U.S. Marine commander called tribal leaders together Saturday to seek their support in running their city but emphasized that he considers himself to be in charge. Patrols of low-flying attack helicopters drove home the point. Kut, about 45 miles west of the Iranian border, has been of particular concern to U.S. officials since a Shiite Muslim cleric occupied city hall and claimed to control the city. They contend he is backed by Iran and has only minority support.U.S. officers had said they planned to force cleric Said Abbas out of City Hall, which has been...

KUT, Iraq - A Shiite Muslim cleric who has occupied city hall to stake his claim to local control insisted Wednesday that he was chosen to lead by Kut's people, who he said don't want the U.S. military to be in charge. Hundreds of Said Abbas' supporters were camped outside the building and struck up a chorus of protest whenever U.S. troops passed by. The competition for control of the eastern crossroads city is an especially tense example of the power struggles that have arisen in Iraq following the rout of Saddam Hussein. "The regime ended and there was no...

The Shia of Najaf seethe ominously, fearing the yoke of US occupation By Phil Reeves in Najaf 16 April 2003 The message could not have been clearer if the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani himself had broadcast it from the battery of loudspeakers that hang above the breathtaking blue mosaics lining the walls of his mosque. The powerful cleric's multitude of followers in Najaf, one of the holiest Shia cities, will not accept an Iraqi government run by anyone they see as a stooge of the occupying Americans. They are not interested in retired Lieutenant-General Jay Garner, the rumbustious former...