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October 12, 2008 8:00:52 PM CDT

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Basra Awash in Violence as It Tests Self-Rule

Posted Feb 23, 08 2:31 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – Basra is supposed to be a shining example of Iraqi self-rule, but the city remains riven by violence five months after British forces pulled out and left local leaders in control, the New York Times reports. Dozens of Shia militias are competing for power, and murders and kidnappings of prominent city figures are common. Militants have killed more than 100 women deemed impure.

The violence is especially troubling, the Times notes, because Basra seems well suited for success. It is an economic hub with a largely Shiite population and thus free of ethnic tension. Still, the strife continues. Militias have infiltrated political parties and security forces. "70% of the army is pure,” said a general. “The other 30%, I don’t know. The militias are like a smoldering fire. They can explode at any time.”

Source New York Times

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An Iraqi police officer walks past a mosque destroyed in clashes in Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)   (Associated Press)
Iraqi Security Forces march past Basra Palace, as the handover of the last province under UK military control was completed , Sunday Dec. 16, 2007. The handover of Basra was meant to show the way forward...   (Associated Press)
The radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr delivers a sermon in this file photo. The main players in Basra and southern Iraq are the powerful Shiite entities, al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia; Abdul-Aziz...   (Associated Press)
Mahdi Army militiamen celebrate the withdrawal of British troops from Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. (AP Photo/ Nabil al-Jurani, File)   (Associated Press)
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Iraq  • Shiite  • Basra  • coalition forces  • Iraqi militias  • religious violence


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