Iraqi City of Peace Moving Toward Chaos

[Nambe]

KARBALA, Iraq

--- Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Karbala has been viewed as an island of peace and stability in a country wracked by violence and social turmoil. But there are signs the peace in this city of 500,000 could soon unravel.

U.S. military commanders, al-Nasrawi confided, are not flexible enough and misinterpret simple acts of piety as religious extremism. The authority of the city's 1,400-strong police force is constantly challenged by Karbala's people, many of whom are armed.

Beyond those problems, he said, a rift between two rival Shiite Muslim groups has deepened, filling the city with tension that could turn into violence. Drugs and pornography are spreading, he complained, and the economy hasn't recovered from the war. ---

Privatize bush It’s a Good Thing

[w13rd0]

1. "Drugs and pornography are spreading"...

...anyone want to make any guesses as to who will be blamed for bringing this kind of "freedom" to the Iraqi people, while forgetting that democracy and representative government and 'oil for the Iraqi people' we promised them?

Post-war planning my blue bottomed ass...