N.Y. Times: British Move Raises Fears on Iraq Supply Lines

[Botany]

The Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias will now have "leverage" over
all supplies coming into Iraq from Kuwait.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/world/middleeast/16military.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=7b2167fe88517675&ex=1347595200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 — As British troops pull out of their last base in Basra, some military commanders and
civilian government officials in the area are concerned that the transition could leave them and a major supply
route to Baghdad at greater risk of attack.

The route, a lifeline that carries fuel, food, ammunition and equipment for the war, crosses desert territory that
is home to rival militias and criminal gangs. In interviews, Americans stationed in the southern provinces and
Pentagon planners say they are closely watching the situation there as the British pass security responsibility to
local Iraqi units.

snip

Iraqi policemen in Basra privately concede that they are afraid to confront the militias, who have powerful
backing in the religious Shiite parties that run Basra, and that if they arrest criminals they face retribution
from powerful tribes and criminal gangs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07S9jNHg1iI

George Armstrong Custer - Bush