US closes in on deal with Iraqi cleric

Karbala has already seen the results of local negotiations, partly due to local pressure. Last Tuesday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has preferred not to take sides in the conflict, called on residents of the two holy cities of Karbala and Najaf to protest against the presence of any armed force in the towns.

By Thursday, local leaders of Karbala were meeting with coalition officers at their base nearby, according to Mr. Fitnan. The Karbalans told the coalition the Mahdi Army would leave if the coalition pulled out.

By Friday morning, US soldiers were nowhere to be seen. After Friday prayers, residents took to the streets with banners saying, "Karbala is a city of peace." They were protected by the Badr Brigade, the militia of Abdul Aziz Hakim's Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The Karbalans were spurred not only by concern for the holy shrine of Imam Hussein, but also for their own safety. Their city saw the worst fighting since the Marines operation in Fallujah. People had stopped going to work, children missed their end-of-year exams, and business from trade had halted.

Karbalans essentially told Mahdi Army fighters that if they fought the Americans, they could not do so in the city.

The Mahdi Army got the message. By Saturday, the militants had taken off their headbands and were looking for rides back to their hometowns. Most of them were not from Karbala.

Sadr's rebellion was initially popular with many Iraqis because it was anticoalition. Sadr called his followers to arms in April and for the first time since it was formed last July, the Mahdi Army was no longer a symbolic force, made up of names on a roster.

Instead, it took over police stations in a show of force that was supported by many.

But, with time the lawlessness that abounded and the intense fighting turned local citizens against the volunteer fighters. Seven weeks on, the local populations are eager to get rid of the "foreigners" in their midst.

Karbala is now peaceful. People have returned to their homes in the center of town and are cleaning out the debris from damaged shops. Monday, children began taking their annual final exams. US forces patrolled the streets of Karbala. Soldiers also talked with residents about reconstruction projects.

Now the Mahdi Army appears willing to leave cities where it is fighting coalition soldiers and allow Iraqi police to have control - as long as the coalition leaves.

Despite negotiations over a potential deal, violence continued. In Baghdad's Sadr City, 39 Iraqis were killed between Sunday night and Monday night, and in Kufa, 32 were killed Saturday night during clashes with US forces. In Baghdad Monday, a car bomb just outside coalition headquarters killed two British civilians.

Until the deal is done, Sadr and his aides are still technically wanted men. Last Friday, Sadr's closest aide, Mohammed Tabtabai, was arrested and his driver was killed by US forces near Kufa. Some say the soldiers thought it might be Sadr.

What remains unclear is if Sadr himself will be able to implement an agreement. His top aides have been arrested - leaving only young angry men behind them to make the decisions on the ground.

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