By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
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The trappings of an Islamic shadow state with al-Qaida as its base are already taking shape in some towns and cities of Anbar where a government presence hardly exists, according to Sunni residents.
Members of the self-styled "Islamic State of Iraq," which was proclaimed in October, sometimes flog men in public for "un-Islamic" behavior such as wearing their hair too long. In towns north of Baghdad, the Islamic State has posted signs warning that alcohol and cigarettes are against Islam.
Meanwhile in Baghdad, Sunni insurgents are trying to turn to their advantage one notable early success of the security operation — the virtual disappearance from the streets of armed fighters from the Mahdi militia.
Under tremendous U.S. pressure, Iraq's Shiite prime minister persuaded al-Sadr to rein in his militia and allow the Americans and the mostly Shiite Iraqi security forces to deploy to protect civilians.
On Sunday, in the most visible sign of that deal so far, hundreds of American and Iraqi soldiers rolled into the Mahdi Army's stronghold of Sadr City without firing a shot, establishing their biggest presence in the sprawling slum since 2004.
With the Mahdi Army off the streets, Baghdad has seen a sharp drop in the number of sectarian reprisal killings, which had left dozens of bullet-riddled bodies scattered across the capital each day for the past five months.
Indeed, many Shiites believe that the absence of Mahdi protection also has given Sunni extremists an opportunity to stage deadly attacks against them, such as the suicide bombing in Baghdad's center on Monday.
Al-Sadr has already complained that the security plan has failed to stop the Sunni bombings — a veiled warning that his militia may return to the streets if the Americans and their Iraqi partners cannot restore order.
The gruesome slaughter of 18 policemen in Diyala province appeared aimed at telling Iraqis that they cannot count on the government to protect them. Last weekend, an al-Qaida-affilated group posted an online video showing the policemen kneeling as masked gunmen fired into the back of the captives' heads.
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http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8NMRT6G0.html