Id be more comfortable if they were protesting SARS.
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Iraqis denounce American occupation
BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis hit the streets of Baghdad on Friday to protest against what they regard as a U.S.-led foreign occupation.
The demonstration was spurred on by Ahmed al-Kubaisi, a Sunni Muslim scholar who told Muslims during morning prayer to reject the occupation. He said the U.S. soldiers should leave before Iraqis throw them out.
Worshippers punctuated the harangue with cries of "Allah akbar" (God is great), then spilled into the streets calling for an end to the occupation and for solidarity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Since the city fell under U.S. military control a week ago, resentment has been building among Iraqis.
The city has been ravaged by looting and lawlessness, which continued apace on Friday as the Ministry of Information building was looted and set ablaze.
U.S. military commanders are reluctant to have soldiers act as police, a policy that enrages Iraqis trying to protect their homes and valuables from roving bandits. But U.S. efforts to enforce order are often met by resentment.
Electricity a priority
The Iraqi capital has been without power since April 3, a situation that has hobbled the economy and efforts to restore order.
The U.S. military says getting the lights back on is the top priority in Baghdad, and officials have been working to restart the city's largest power plant, which they hope to have fully operating by Saturday.
Central Command said it hadn't targeted the power grid. Investigators say the plant's fuel lines had been cut, but by gunfire, not bombing. Officials said the lines had been shattered in a "mistake," but didn't say whose mistake it was.
*********************
Iraqis denounce American occupation
BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis hit the streets of Baghdad on Friday to protest against what they regard as a U.S.-led foreign occupation.
The demonstration was spurred on by Ahmed al-Kubaisi, a Sunni Muslim scholar who told Muslims during morning prayer to reject the occupation. He said the U.S. soldiers should leave before Iraqis throw them out.
Worshippers punctuated the harangue with cries of "Allah akbar" (God is great), then spilled into the streets calling for an end to the occupation and for solidarity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Since the city fell under U.S. military control a week ago, resentment has been building among Iraqis.
The city has been ravaged by looting and lawlessness, which continued apace on Friday as the Ministry of Information building was looted and set ablaze.
U.S. military commanders are reluctant to have soldiers act as police, a policy that enrages Iraqis trying to protect their homes and valuables from roving bandits. But U.S. efforts to enforce order are often met by resentment.
Electricity a priority
The Iraqi capital has been without power since April 3, a situation that has hobbled the economy and efforts to restore order.
The U.S. military says getting the lights back on is the top priority in Baghdad, and officials have been working to restart the city's largest power plant, which they hope to have fully operating by Saturday.
Central Command said it hadn't targeted the power grid. Investigators say the plant's fuel lines had been cut, but by gunfire, not bombing. Officials said the lines had been shattered in a "mistake," but didn't say whose mistake it was.
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