In the new Iraq, local officials put lives on the line

In Al Karkh, an old Baghdad district of winding alleys and traditional wooden homes whose second-story balconies lean precariously over the street, district council chairman Mustafa Zaidan al-Khaleefa knew he was in danger.

The poor shopkeeper had been receiving threats from supporters of the old regime since shortly after Baghdad fell, when he and a few friends decided to set up a representative council for their neighborhood.

Though his shop was tiny, he had a degree from the state administrative institute and a background in the theory of setting up a local government. When US forces arrived in the district, they set up elections for local councils, and Mr. Khaleefa won the chairmanship.

"We forced him to quit at first, but he wouldn't stay away,'' says his cousin Taufik al-Khaleefa, taking a break from Mustafa's funeral. "The people wanted him and he felt he could make a difference."

Mustafa was gunned down as he walked home on Monday evening along Haifa Street after having a soda with fellow council member Haider Mohandes. He left behind a wife and three school-age children. Sitting in the cramped office attached to a carpenter's workshop where they began meeting six months ago, a tearful Mohandes called his friend: "One of the real heroes of the new Iraq."

"He was so excited at the prospect of bringing democracy to Iraq,'' says Mohandes. "It's people like him who are going to make the difference."

Mohandes says two men jumped out of the shadows as they walked home, and one of them put Khaleefa in a choke-hold from behind and shot him repeatedly. They then sped off in a white Toyota, other witnesses said.

"I'd seen that car following us the day before,'' he says. "I should have known."

Just up the street at the renovated district council building, the front gate bears fresh evidence of democracy's enemies in a cone of shrapnel holes left by a grenade attack on Monday. Rashid Mehdi, one of the US-appointed guards there, says he's thinking of quitting. "We have 10 guards, but the Americans gave us only one Kalishnikov and 12 rounds - we can't protect them with this."

Mohandes says the local council will continue. "We will not be stopped by these attacks,'' he said. But he added he's worried about his own safety. "There are powerful parties trying to destroy any effort to build a democracy."

That concern is particularly pronounced in Najaf, an overwhelmingly Shiite town that is home to one of the most important shrines in that branch of Islam. The Shiites were persecuted by the Sunni-dominated Baath regime, and mass graves outside town attest to the way Hussein handled Shiite dissent in the 1980s and 1990s.

The fear and anger among the local elites working with the coalition is palpable in a crowd of about 150 councilors, lawyers, and prosecutors who gathered, dressed in suits, at the courthouse on Wednesday to mark Shuwaili's murder and to protest against what they feel is insufficient security from the US-led coalition.

"There are a lot of people around here who lost their privileges after the Americans came,'' says Rashid al-Kharaji, a local lawyer. "They've formed ... clandestine groups and the coalition isn't doing anything to stop them."

Many of the lawyers and the judges in this group declined to be interviewed, saying they were afraid of reprisals. But as they began to organize for a march to the local coalition headquarters, it was clear the murder of Shuwaili had reopened wounds.

One of the judges exclaimed loudly: "How can we be safe when there still so many Baathists among us?" This prompted another judge, who felt targeted by the comments, to whirl on his colleague and grab his shirt. "A Baathist! You were an intelligence agent. I'm going to have a warrant issued for your arrest." The two nearly came to blows before being separated by colleagues.

There are more emotions in a meeting with the CPA representative for Najaf, Robert Ford, later in the day. Tarik Nasser, a local council member shouted that enough priority was not being given to their protection. "If a single American was killed the helicopters would still be hovering over head. But nothing has been done since this latest murder." Mr. Ford, an American diplomat, promised in Arabic that every effort would be made to catch those responsible but appealed for patience "during these very difficult days."

His assurances weren't enough for the local officials, and the meeting broke up with the judges and lawyers vowing to stay on strike until more men and weapons were provided to guard them.

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